


Everybody [doesn't want] wants to be a cat!

by anonymousduchess



Category: DC Animated Universe, DCAU - Fandom
Genre: F/M, M/M, kitty!bruce will be adorable but grumpy, or they can just have a bromance, there might be some superbat if you squint hard enough?, why am I doing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 21:38:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 23,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9567845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymousduchess/pseuds/anonymousduchess
Summary: Bruce Wayne gets turned into a cat and hilarity, angst, and fluff ensues.





	1. Cat Scratch Fever

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm writing this as an experiment. I don't know why I'm doing this, but I'm quite excited about it. If you have read my other works, you know that I'm still new to the whole DC universe, so please forgive any errors I make! I wasn't sure which fandom this work should be under so I decided to just put it under Justice League (2017) because the actors are beautiful people and need to be written about as much as possible! I decided to just make up an original character because I don't know if Zatanna or Jason Blood will ever be in the DCEU. I hope this character proves a good villain!
> 
> Also, the chapter title comes from the song "Cat Scratch Fever" by Ted Nugent. I haven't listened to it, but I found the title fitting. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> ....(what have i done? .-.)

"It's over, Cyprus!" The Batman was getting tired of chasing after this new villain terrorizing Gotham. Apparently, the man was a magician... A real one. As in real magic.

 

Bruce had rolled his eyes when he first discovered Cyprus. The man's popular magic act had been pulled due to an accident. Cyprus had claimed that he had actually been levitating his assistant into the air and had lost control, but no one believed him. Enraged, he'd decided to seek revenge on the whole city of Gotham.

 

How original. And what did the whole city have to do with what happened to Cyprus? Why couldn't he just get revenge on his boss? These were the questions that Bruce couldn't concern himself with too much or he'd go crazy trying to find the answers. All he knew was that Cyprus's terror needed to be stopped, even if it was just all great uses of illusions.

  

"No! They mocked me! I know that even you are mocking me. You don't think I really have magic." The man appeared slightly crazed, and his eyes were almost pleading. However, Batman felt no sympathy for a man who took his anger out on the innocent. He said nothing as he reached for a batarang.

 

_** *poof* ** _

 

There was a bright flash and Batman heard Cyprus laughing before he could see him. When the blinding light finally subsided, Batman was looking up from the ground. Well, someone getting the jump on Batman hadn't happened in a long time. Cyprus must be more experienced than Batman had originally suspected.

 

The incessant laughter was grating on Batman's nerves and he leaped to his feet. Only... He was still looking up. "What did you do?!" He demanded, but all he heard was "meow!" Batman blinked and looked around, but there were no cats to be found. Was he hallucinating? Cyprus must have doused him with something.

 

"I have no idea what you're saying, but I'm sure you're seething with rage right now, Batman! ...Or should I say 'Catman?'" Cyprus began laughing again and fell to the ground.

  

Batman growled.

 

Actually growled.

 

Not like a human growl, but a far more animalistic growl that rumbled from deep within him.

 

When Cyprus finally got himself together, he sniffed and pointed to a puddle. "See for yourself."

 

Batman cocked his head slightly before walking over to the puddle.

 

Walking.

 

Not crawling.

 

Batman knew the difference, and he had a sinking feeling in his gut as he peered into the water.

 

There was a cat.

 

_He_ was the cat.

 

This had to be some kind of hallucination or drug. ...But it felt so real. The way he moved was so natural, like he'd been a cat for his whole life. He tried to shout at Cyprus to get his attention but all that came out was a vicious hiss.

 

"Don't be a bad kitty, now!" Cyprus teased with a nasty smirk.The cat's eyes narrowed.

 

The cat's eyes narrowed.

 

"Now do you believe that my magical powers are real?!" Cyprus was angry again. "You're not dreaming, Batman. All of this is real! Right now you are a cat and..."

 

The cat's tail flicked impatiently.

 

 

Cyprus's expression fell. "And I don't know how to change you back."

 

The cat pounced onto Cyprus's shirt and hissed again. It almost seemed like the cat was trying to shake him. Cyprus yelped and threw the cat off of him (it took awhile though–the cat was strong).

 

The cat landed on his feet and shook off the panic he'd felt as he was falling.

 

"I know that soon I will figure out how to change you back, and I'll let you know as soon as I do."

 

The cat huffed indignantly and swished his tail again.

 

"I swear I will! No man deserves to live out the rest of his days as another species. It'll take me some time though, okay?" Cyprus looked like he was genuinely upset, and Batman had to wonder if the man was just another lost soul.

 

 

But he quickly disposed of any empathy or pity he was feeling towards the villain because that man had turned him into a cat and couldn't change him back.

 

"In the meantime," Cyprus's tone was bitter again, "maybe you'll come to realize just how real my magic is as you spend some time as an animal." With that, Cyprus disappeared into an alley, ignoring the cat's loud meows.

 

 

Batman had been trying to tell Cyprus that the man would have no way of finding Batman. How were they going to meet up again? He needed to let someone know about his situation immediately. He looked around for his suit but it was nowhere to be found. Great. He was walking home.

 

~~~~~

 

It took hours to get back to the Lake House on foot, and Bruce was exhausted. He dragged his paws up the steps to the front door and let out a pitiful meow. When there was no response, Bruce dragged his right paw along the door. Alarms alerted the household that there was an intruder, and soon Alfred was opening the door. His brow furrowed in confusion when he didn't see anything, but just as he was about to close the door, Bruce called out to him.

 

_ Alfred! _

 

 

"Meow!"

 

 

Alfred startled and looked down, obviously taken aback by the stray cat on Master Wayne's doorstep. The two had a staredown while Alfred thought of how to handle the situation. Then the cat was suddenly being lifted up into the butler's arms.

 

 

_This is too weird_ , he thought. It was obvious that the cat did not like being held, but Alfred ignored it.

 

 

"I hope Master Bruce doesn't bite my head off for bringing you into the house," Alfred muttered under his breath.

 

 

_He'd bite your head off if you_ hadn't _taken the cat into the house_ , Bruce thought grumpily.

 

He was set down by the fireplace in the living room and felt uncomfortable under Alfred's scrutinizing gaze. Well, at least some things hadn't changed.

 

 

_ What? _

 

"Meoow," came the impatient sound from the cat.

 

"What should I do with you? There is no way Master Bruce will allow you to stay here."

 

 

That's it! The cat bounded towards the cave as the idea hit him like lightning. He just needed to get to the computer and type out what had happened.

 

 

"No! Bad cat! Come back!" Alfred called after him.

 

The cat was almost to the computer before a blue-clad figure appeared in his path. He stopped short and came inches from hitting his head on the person's leg.

 

 

Clark.

 

 

"Whoa, what's this?" Superman began, but the cat was already running towards the computers again.

 

 

"Don't let him get onto the computers!" Alfred cried.

 

 

Superman raced into action and before the cat knew what was happening, he was being held once again. He tried to squirm away but the grip was as strong as steel.

 

 

Alfred let out a sigh of relief and walked over to where Superman was standing. "Thank you, Master Kent. I shudder to think of what might have happened if the cat had gotten to the computers."

 

"Bruce got a cat?" Superman was glancing down at the sleek, furry black creature.

 

 

The cat was staring ahead with a grumpy expression on his face.

 

 

"No. That cat triggered the security system, and I couldn't just ignore it now, could I?"

 

 

"Does Bruce know about it yet?"

 

 

"I don't even know where Master Bruce is," Alfred said, sighing in dismay. "I lost contact with him hours ago. I tried searching all over Gotham but to no avail. He has simply disappeared."

 

 

The cat felt Superman tense up and for a fleeting second thought that he would be crushed to death. "Why didn't you let me– the League know sooner? We would have helped you find him!"

 

 

If Alfred caught the slip-up, he didn't mention it. "And then be chewed out by Master Bruce? You know how difficult he can be when it comes to accepting help. Even though he's part of a team now; something I never fail to remind him of. But now that you know, you will help, won't you?"

 

"Of course!" Superman sounded offended at the suggestion that he wouldn't help. His expression changed into one of complete focus and Bruce knew that he was probably using his super-hearing. After a few moments, Superman sighed and shook his head.

 

"I don't hear him anywhere."

 

 

"Well, I'm sure he'll turn up soon. He used to disappear like this when he was a boy, and even as a grown man. He knows the heart problems he gives me, but that doesn't stop him from disappearing for a few days." Alfred looked utterly exhausted. Too bad Bruce couldn't tell him to take a break.

 

 

Superman frowned, concern evident on his face. "I'll keep looking... and listening."

 

 

"Thank you, Master Kent. Now, what to do about the cat?"

 

 

Superman glanced down at the cat again and was caught off-guard by the brightness of the blue in its eyes. "Well, I guess you can't keep him here in case Bruce comes back soon."

 

 

Alfred's expression became hopeful. "Could you look after him? Or do you know someone who can?"

 

 

Bruce began to feel anxious. The last thing he needed was to be put in a pound somewhere. He needed to let Alfred know about Cyprus.

 

"I'm sure I can find someone," Superman replied.

 

 

"I'd just hate for him to be put in the pound."

 

 

"No! Don't worry, I won't let him be put in the pound. I'll find someone. I promise." Superman grinned that blinding grin and even Alfred gave a tired smile in return.

"Thank you, Master Kent. Oh! Do forgive me, but in all of the upset with the cat, I forgot to ask you the purpose of your visit. Is there something you need me to tell Bruce when he gets back?"

 

"Oh, no!" Was Superman blushing? "I was just- Uh, checking in."

 

 

"Ah. Well, in that case, if you don't require my assistance with anything, I think I shall continue searching for Master Bruce."

 

 

"Yeah, of course. But you should rest, Alfred. You wouldn't want Bruce coming home and finding you exhausted, would you?"

 

"He comes home and finds me exhausted quite often Master Kent, but if he notices or not, I could not tell you."

 

 

Bruce would have furrowed his brow in guilt if he had eyebrows.

 

 

"Well little guy, looks like we need to find you a home. Hold on." And with that, Superman floated into the air. Bruce had expected the man to just launch into the sky, so he was surprised at the gentleness with which Clark flew. It was fast, but obviously not fast enough to cause any g-force.

 

~~~~

 

"Come on, Diana, look at him!" The cat was held out to the woman's face. The cat did not look pleased, if its half-lidded eyes were anything to go by. "Isn't he cute?"

 

 

Diana huffed. "Just because something is 'cute,' Clark, doesn't mean I want to keep it."

 

 

Clark frowned. "I guess I could try the other League members, but I figured you could use a cat."

 

 

"Why?"

 

 

Clark shrugged helplessly. "I don't know... I guess because this particular cat is so elegant like you. He would be a perfect fit."

 

 

Diana's expression softened and she smiled slightly. "I appreciate the thought, Clark, but even Wonder Woman can get too busy to take care of a cat."

 

 

"Cats don't need to be taken care of as much as dogs! They're more independent." It was obvious that Clark was grasping at straws here, and even Bruce was getting tired of hearing it.

 

 

"I'm sure Wally would like the idea of a cat."

 

 

The cat froze and his eyes widened. Clark noticed this and pulled the cat back to get a better look at him. The corners of his mouth turned down. "I don't think he likes that idea."

 

 

"He's a cat, Clark. He doesn't understand what we're saying."

 

 

Clark studied the cat for a moment. "I beg to differ, Diana. But alright, I'll see if Wally wants him."

 

 

~~~~

 

 

"He's adorable!" Wally jumped up from his chair and quite literally flashed over to Clark. "Where'd you find him?" The young man's higher pitch caused Bruce's cat ears to twitch in protest. When Wally reached out to hold him, even Clark seemed uneasy.

 

 

"Aw, come on, I'll be gentle. I'm great with animals."

 

 

Clark hesitated for a moment before reluctantly giving in. "Alright..."

 

"Awesome! I love cats! Dogs are my favorite kind of animal, but cats are cool, too!" Bruce waited to be dropped by Wally, but was surprised yet again when the young man simply held him correctly and scratched behind his ears.

 

Bruce would die before admitting that he enjoyed it.

 

And he would lie if anyone said that he'd been purring quietly.

  

"He showed up at Bruce's place, but Alfred doesn't know where Bruce is at the moment. It's not like Bruce would want to keep the cat, anyway."

 

"Yeah, the guy can live with the idea of bats under his house but not any other animal. What're you gonna do with him, then?"

  

"I was thinking of trying to convince him to keep–"

 

"I meant the cat, Clark."

 

Clark stopped short and blushed. "Oh, right. Uh, well... I was wondering if you'd like to keep him. The cat, that is."

 

Wally eyed him but was amused by the situation. He looked back down at the cat and thought about it for a few minutes. Finally, he looked back up at Clark.

 

"I'd love to, but I'm afraid I can't. No pets allowed here, and I don't feel like looking for another place if the landlord finds out.”

 

 

Clark almost looked dejected. “Are you sure? You could use your speed to hide him quickly, couldn’t you?”

 

 

Wally chuckled. “You and I both know that one: it wouldn’t be good for the cat, and two: I couldn’t silence him if he decided to meow or knock something over.”

 

 

“Yeah, you’re right. I just don’t see why no one wants him.”

 

A sharp pain stabbed his chest but Bruce didn’t want to put a name to it.

 

"I don't think it has anything to do with him, Clark. Taking care of a pet is a lot of responsibility and it takes up time. I mean, I'd keep this little guy faster than I can travel to China and back, but I don't want to risk losing a place to live."

 

Clark seemed to feel a bit better about the situation, and his shoulders straightened. "Yeah, I can understand that. Thanks anyway, Wally."

 

"Anytime, Blue. Let me know when you find him a home."

 

~~~~

 

"No."

 

 

"But–"

 

 

"I said no, Clark."

 

 

"Why not?"

 

 

"He's a cat."

 

Clark blinked and tried to gauge whether or not Arthur was trying to be clever. "Yeah, he is..."

 

"Cats hate water."

 

 

"Oh, yeah, but you're not made of actual water... Are you?"

 

"Even metahumans are made up of seventy-percent w-"

 

"I know that! But what I mean is that you're not actual water."

 

 

"I just don't think it's a good idea, Clark. I'm wary of animals I cannot communicate with."

 

 

Clark and the cat just stared at him. "I'm not sure if you're joking or not."

 

Arthur leaned against the doorframe. "Whatever the case, I do not want the cat."

 

Clark sighed, knowing that continuing the argument would only anger Arthur more, and he didn't feel like dealing with that right now. "Alright. I'll look somewhere else."

 

 

~~~~

 

 

"Hey Victor, it's–"

 

"Superman! I mean Clark! Hey! What's going on? Is it an emergency?"

 

"No, nothing like that," Clark was quick to reassure the young man. "I just... I have kind of an odd question to ask you."

 

"Anything, man. What's on your mind?"

 

 

"Do you like cats?"

 

There was a pause.

 

"I prefer dogs, but cats are alright, I guess. Why do you ask?"

 

 

"It's a long story, but basically I have this cat in need of a home and so far no one wants to take him."

 

 

"Well, who did you ask? Stray animals can sometimes carry diseases and can be expensive to get vaccinated. I'm sure you're immune to anything the cat might be carrying, though. Why don't you just keep him? It would be a good fit."

 

 

Clark couldn't seem to give an answer, and Bruce wasn't sure why he was offended by that.

 

"Well, good luck finding a home for him. I don't think I want a cat for a pet."

 

"Yeah, okay. Bye Victor."

 

 

"Bye!"

 

 

Clark sighed and hung up the phone. He looked over at the cat and shook his head. His gaze was distant as he thought of what to do next. "I have one more person in mind... I just hope she wants to talk to me."

 

~~~~

 

" _A-choo_!"

 

 

"Bless you."

 

Lois sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue. "I'm allergic to cats, Clark."

 

 

"I- The whole time we were together, you never told me that." Clark was visibly offended.

 

 

Lois shrugged. "It never came up. The cat's beautiful, but there's no way I can keep him. Sorry, Clark."

 

 

Another sigh from Clark, but Bruce could tell that it was from more than just hearing one more person deny the cat -himself- a home. 

 

~~~~

 

 

Clark set the cat down on his desk before settling into the chair with a heavy sigh. "Guess it's just you and me, buddy." He began to reach out to pet the cat but stopped, instead deciding to lower his hand and slowly hold it out for the cat to sniff.

 

Bruce knew that a normal cat would sniff the hand, but he was determined to be as un-catlike as possible. In all honesty, he was actually relieved to be staying with Clark until he could figure out how to let it be known that a mad magician had turned him into a cat. He'd gotten to know Clark a lot over the past two years, and he knew that the man was smarter than he let on. Out of all of the League, Clark would be the quickest to figure everything out. 

 

 

Unfortunately, Clark had no idea why the cat was ignoring the hand. He smiled sadly and shook his head, returning his hand to his side. "You're a lot like Bruce." Was there a fond tone to Clark's voice? "I don't know why he wouldn't want to keep you. You're both independent, you'd keep out of each other's way... Neither of you would have to worry about touching."

 

 

The cat blinked as Bruce tried to figure out the tone in Clark's voice, but Clark was staring at the desk.

 

 

"I still can't believe Lois never told me about her allergy to cats. I bet there's a lot of stuff she didn't tell me, though. All she really cared about was Superman, anyway." 

 

 

Bruce mentally raised an eyebrow. What all had happened with Lois? And why hadn't Clark told him? He knew the answer to that second question, actually. With the way Bruce acted around Clark (around anyone, really), why should he expect Clark to talk to him about things other than League business? Bruce was slowly coming to the realization that he might actually want to be friends with Clark. (Who was he kidding, though? He already thought of Clark as a good friend... He just never said it out loud.) 

 

"That's not fair, though, is it?" Clark looked back at the cat and Bruce was pulled out of his musings. "I think Lois loved Clark Kent, too. But sometimes I wonder if she even knew the real me. Not just Clark Kent, and not just Superman. But maybe that was my fault; maybe I never let her see the real me."

 

Bruce could definitely relate. And he found that he was grateful to be a cat right now because he didn't have to reply. He wasn't expected to reply, and honestly he didn't know what to say. All he knew was that he didn't like seeing Clark so... heartbroken. Especially over Lois. His tail twitched in irritation and he found himself giving a stern meow before he could stop it.

 

Clark perked up and his eyes widened slightly. "He speaks! I guess I went off on a tangent there, huh? And to a cat, for crying out loud. Don't tell Bruce, alright? He'd think I was even more of an idiot for talking to a cat. So would Arthur, come to think of it, so don't tell him, either."

 

 

Clark thought that Bruce thought he was an idiot?

 

 

"Okay, I don't know much about taking care of indoor cats, but I think I can manage the basics. We need to get you a litter box, some bowls and food, and maybe some toys. If you even like to have fun."

 

Ouch.

 

 

Clark chewed on his lip and stared at the cat again. Bruce found it hard to keep staring back at such an intense look, but he managed it. 

 

 

"I'm sure you'll be alright if I leave you alone for an hour, right? Don't tear up the apartment, please. Not even Superman could talk away a destroyed apartment to an angry landlord."

 

The cat let out a puff of air through his nose while Bruce laughed.

 

 

Actually, genuinely laughed.

 

 

For the first time in... He couldn't remember how long. But it was the first time in a long time and he couldn't even hear it or do it properly because he was a cat. 


	2. When the owner's away...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce refuses to act like a cat.

Bruce glanced at the digital clock on the stove and saw that Clark had only been gone for ten minutes. It had felt like one whole hour had passed since Clark had gone off and left Bruce alone to pace the apartment.

Bruce gave a spiteful glare to the locked door.

He did not plan on staying a cat for long, so he tried to resist...urges he felt. Instincts that were fine for an actual cat, but not for a man transformed into a cat. Cleaning by licking his fur? Just awful. Hopefully he could catch Clark's attention when he got back and finally make him see what had happened to him.

~~~~

More than an hour had to have passed. Bruce felt like he was going mad with impatience; meditation techniques didn't work so well in his cat form. He'd circled the entire apartment so many times he'd lost count, and he'd allowed himself to snoop a little. But he only allowed himself to look at some books, pictures, and article drafts; nothing too personal.

The article drafts showed Clark's talent as a writer, and Bruce found himself quite surprised. He'd never really taken the time to read one of Clark's articles. ...Okay, that was a lie; he was Batman, and he needed to make sure that nothing sketchy was being written. However, he'd skimmed those articles as Batman, and not as Bruce. He could take his time with reading the articles now, and he found himself glad for it.

He was just finishing the last article when he heard to door unlock. His hearing was enhanced significantly, and he briefly wondered if this was what it was like for Clark. He could hear the most random noises from distances he wouldn't be able to hear as a human (without gadgets, of course) and it was a bit unsettling. It would take some time to get used to it, but Bruce didn't have time.

Before realizing that is was happening, the cat lifted his chin in an arrogant manner and jumped down from the table just as Clark was looking at him. The cat began to act aloof, but Clark wasn't surprised. This seemed to only irk the cat more, and his tail twitched consistently.

_You're late._

"Meooow." There was a hint of a growl.

"Thanks for not destroying the apartment," Clark replied, setting down the bags. He checked his watch. "Hah! One hour exactly!"

Bruce glanced at the stove clock. Ah. So it had been exactly one hour.

The cat prowled towards the counter and peered at the items in the bag but couldn't see through the plastic.

"Okay, I got cat food–" –hmph! Like Bruce was going to eat that.– "Some cat toys..." Clark pulled the items out of the bags as he listed them off. "And a litter box complete with cat litter."

The cat practically looked offended.

There was no way Bruce was going to stay a cat long enough to have to use a litter box.

The cat's eyes narrowed at the offensive object and he lifted his haunches ever-so-slightly.

Clark followed the cat's glare and his brow furrowed. "You don't like it?" Then he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's a cat, Clark. It doesn't have opinions on litter boxes."

The cat hissed and Clark froze. What had happened to make the cat act so grumpy?

"I hope you're trained... But if you're a stray, I guess I have to train you."

A defiant "meow" escaped from the cat and he scurried towards the couch. Right now Bruce was going on pure instinct to just _hide_ or run far, far away. How degrading! Under _no_ circumstances would he allow Clark to train his cat-self to use the litter box. None whatsoev-

He was being lifted from the ground and was turned to face an annoyed Clark.

"No hiding under the couch." Clark's voice was bordering on stern, but there was still some hesitation.

The cat huffed through his nose.

Clark's eyes narrowed. "I mean it. Just because you're cute doesn't mean you can get away with everything."

Bruce was just going to ignore the odd, delighted-yet-insulted pang he felt at being called "cute." The Batman was not cute. Even as a cat, the Batman should be terrifying.

Obviously, the latter wasn't working out so well.

"No getting out of it," Clark said firmly as he put the cat down on the bathroom floor. Bruce had been fuming so much at Clark's words that he hadn't even paid attention to the fact that Clark had been walking to the bathroom.

Clark really thought he was going to get away with this.

~~

As Bruce watched Clark set up the litter box, he realized that the only way to avoid Clark trying to train him was to act like he was already trained. Bruce knew that he could run all he wanted, but Clark would use his super speed and catch him every time. That would just be exhausting and a waste of time.

Clark stood back and brushed his hands together before looking at the cat. Before he could say anything, though, the cat hopped into the litter box and looked up at him.

"Go on, then."

There were a couple of things that Bruce would have been more than happy to point out to Clark if he'd been able to. One: He wasn't going to actually use the litter box. Two: He certainly wasn't going to use the litter box with Clark staring straight at him.

The third point that he would not say out loud was that he had no idea how to execute his plan. Bruce wasn't unaware of how cats used litter boxes, but now that he was expected to use it, he wasn't sure how to start.

The cat circled around himself a few times before sitting down and glancing back up at Clark with unblinking eyes.

"Meow." It sounded a bit perturbed.

Clark blinked. "You can't be serious... You're really not going to go until I look away?"

The cat didn't move. "Meow." A bit more insistent and irritated.

"I can't believe a cat is shy about... But animals do have their own personalities. Alright, I'm not looking. I promise." Clark covered his eyes with his hand and turned to face the wall.

"Meeooow." That was definitely insistent and demanding.

Clark stared at the cat in disbelief for a few tense moments before finally breaking the staring contest. "Fine, I'm going." Clark left the bathroom and closed the door. "Can you go now?"

The cat huffed and looked around once again. Bruce moved around a bit but was still unsure of what to do next. He could only hope that Clark would have the decency to not use his super hearing to make sure the cat was going to the bathroom.

As he made to step out of the box, an idea occurred to him. He couldn't remember when or where he'd learned this about cats (and maybe a part of it was instinct), but he kicked some sand behind him before stepping out of the box completely.

There was a long stretch of silence as the cat stared at the door and waited for Clark to come back in.

"Meow."

A moment's hesitation before the door creaked open slowly. Clark peered around from behind the door for a second before stepping into full view.

He looked at the litter box and shrugged. "Well, you obviously know how to use it, but I guess you don't have to go yet. Come on, it's time for dinner."

 _No_. Bruce needed to let Clark know _now_. How long would he have to suffer?

When Clark realized that the cat wasn't following him, he turned around and folded his arms across his chest. "Come on."

 _'Make me. I dare you.'_ "Meow."

Another involuntary reaction as his claws dug into the rug while Clark picked him up again. The cat's clutches were useless, however, and the rug slipped away, leaving a forlorn cat to be carried into the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided that I will continue this story! Thank you to everyone who left kudos! And to those who commented! I decided to change the universe of this fic to the animated universe after doing some more research on it. This means that I will have to make a few changes to chapter one, but enjoy the second chapter for now!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce's attempts at communicating with Clark are thwarted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason at the end of the second chapter, there is an extra note about the DCEU and why cat!Bruce has blue eyes. Seeing as how I've switched the story over to the animated verse, please ignore that note. I tried removing it but it won't go away.
> 
> Also, thank you to everyone for your support and comments! It always makes my day to see that people are loving the story and wanting to read more!<3 I'd hoped to get this chapter up sooner but I got a really bad sinus infection. Dx

"Eat."

_You have got to be kidding me._

Of course Clark was expecting the cat to eat. But Bruce wouldn't go near the cat food. He'd sniffed it and while it had smelled normal to his cat senses, he still felt wrong eating it. "I don't want you starving to death on my watch," Clark said. Bruce was hungry, but he liked to

"I don't want you starving to death on my watch," Clark said. 

Bruce wouldn't pretend that he wasn't hungry, but he liked to think that Clark would find out soon enough that the cat he was talking to wasn't actually a cat.

Clark shook his head and sighed. "You are so stubborn... This is the best cat food I could find."

Not really wanting Clark to be in a bad mood, Bruce tried to summon up a pitiful mewl. It worked, and Clark's expression immediately softened. 

Bruce had to refrain from looking smug. 

"Alright, maybe you're not hungry right now. It'll be here if you change your mind, though." Clark went to pet the cat but decided against it at the last minute, even though the cat hadn't flinched away. 

The cat's blue eyes followed Clark as he went over to sit on the couch. Before Bruce could come up with another plan or wonder what Clark was going to do next, Clark reached for his laptop.

_Yes!_

The cat bounded over to Clark and sat by his feet, trying to look inconspicuous. But Clark was eyeing him as he opened his laptop. The cat gave him an innocent look and twitched his tail a few times. 

Still not convinced, Clark reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the cat and began to type on his laptop.

It was agony waiting for the right time to pounce, but Bruce knew that he would probably only get one shot at this. Not knowing whether or not Clark had opened up a blank document, Bruce got up and walked around to the other side of the couch. 

Well, that had been a mistake because now he couldn't see anything. Making a break for it, Bruce crouched down and counted to three before jumping up. He didn't need to use his claws, thankfully (Clark would have probably skinned him alive...probably not, because he was too kind of a soul to do that), but he did have to scramble a bit to find his footing. He hoisted himself up onto the back of the couch and then landed right next to Clark's lap. 

Clark hadn't so much as flinched, but he had a wary expression on his face as he continued typing. 

A-ha! Clark was working on an article! Now was the perfect time to... 

Bruce looked down at his paws. 

Huh. A rare occurrence where he hadn't really thought this through. 

Using his whole paw wouldn't allow him to form actual words, but using his claws might be too tedious.

He had to try it, though, or risk staying a cat for longer than he'd like. 

So he waited for the next opportunity, and he took it when Clark reached for a piece of paper.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" But Clark sounded amused instead of angry as he looked at the cat standing on his laptop.

The cat was staring intently at the keyboard and reached out a claw to hit one of the letters.

"No, no, you can't do that. You'll damage it, and I can't afford to buy a new one right now."

This laptop was pretty ancient, Bruce noted.

When Clark reached to move the cat off the laptop, it growled lowly at him. Bruce hadn't even tried to growl, so he chalked it up to his cat instincts.

Clark frowned. "Come on now, be nice." He tried to reach for the cat again, but this time it hissed.

Okay, Bruce had definitely tried to do that.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not concerned about scratches from a cat. However," and Clark quickly scooped up the cat and set him on the floor, "you should be careful of scratching me."

Bruce had never thought about what might happen to a cat's claws if they scratched Clark's skin. It probably wouldn't do too much damage, but Bruce didn't want to try it. And anyway, Clark would probably just give him a hard time about it once Bruce was back to being a human. 

The cat meowed pitifully, and Clark shook his head in amusement. "I bought you some toys. Go play with those." He returned to his writing.

The cat jumped onto the armchair and placed one paw on Clark's arm. Clark gave a disbelieving look and furrowed his brow. 

"I thought you were an independent cat? Suddenly you want attention?"

Another meow, and this time it sounded desperate. 

"What do you want? I tried giving you food, and you didn't want it."

"Meoow!" The cat aimed his claws for the laptop again.

"Sorry, buddy, but I need that right now." Clark gently moved the cat over to the other side of the couch. "Why do cats always have to sit on laptops?"

 _Clark, come_ on. 

"Meeoow." 

"I know you're trying to tell me something, but I don't speak cat." 

A long silence stretched that consisted of the cat giving a level stare at Clark while Clark kept his eyes on his laptop. Having had enough of being stared at, Clark let out an exasperated sigh. "Go play somewhere or something." He waved a dismissive hand but never moved his eyes from the laptop.

This kind of apathy from Clark was new and not something Bruce was happy with. He narrowed his eyes and, in spite, hopped off of the couch and sauntered back into the kitchen. 

~~

It had been thirty minutes since Clark had dismissed him so coldly, and Bruce's tail was twitching in impatience. He found that he was growing more hungry as time went on, but he still refused to eat the cat food. 

And he would most definitely  _not_ play with the cat toys.

...Even though he was growing desperate for something to do at this point. 

His ears heard the laptop close and he perked up, looking over his shoulder to see Clark stand up. Bruce bounded over to the coffee table and hopped onto the laptop.

He absolutely had to turn around three times  _exactly_ before he sat down on it.

"Why are you so interested in my laptop?" Clark asked with an amused smile.

"Meow." The cat batted his paw against the metal and kept eye contact with Clark.

_Come on Clark, focus._

"I'm done with it for the night, so you can go ahead and sleep on it if that's what you want to do."

" _Meow._ " More batting on the laptop.

_Clark!_

Clark shook his head again and shrugged. "I don't know what's up with you. You're one strange cat."

" _Meooow._ " A pitifully desperate meow had Clark making a pained expression. 

Clark nudged the cat off of the laptop and opened it up. "I can't let it run all night. Is that what you want?'

"Meow."

 _Kind of_.

"Well, knock yourself out, I guess. I'm going to bed."

_No!_

"Meow! Meow!" A litany of meows followed Clark to the bedroom, but the cat never moved. It was difficult for Clark to ignore the cat, but he really had no idea what to do for the poor thing. 

As he stepped into the shower, he tried to think of things to make the cat feel more at home.


	4. Desperate times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce is desperate to get someone to listen to him, and Clark is desperate to help the cat feel at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I am so sorry for the long wait! I'd meant to post something sooner but then I would have had to write another chapter and my muse was not up for it. I had to manage some things for my university and then midterms came out of nowhere, but I'm back now! Thanks again for all the kudos and comments. As for where this story is going... I have no idea, honestly. I had originally wanted Bruce to stay a cat for awhile so he could listen to personal conversations, but I have no idea what kind of personal conversations to write, so... yeah. Just bear with me, please. ^.^'
> 
> Also, any ideas for kitty!Bruce's name? Feel free to suggest. :) I'm thinking "Batsy," but I'm open to suggestions.

After Clark had finished drying off and changing into sweat pants and a t-shirt, he walked back into the living room to check on the cat. He was sitting in the same spot, only now his back was turned so he could face the computer.

"What is it with cats and computers?" Clark wondered, an amused smile appearing in his expression. "It's getting late, little guy."

The cat turned his head to look over his shoulder, and his expression could be described as indifferent.

"I completely forgot to get a cat bed..." Clark rubbed the back of his neck nervously, looking like he was expecting the cat to chastise him. 

 _Of course you did_ , Bruce thought; but it was more in amusement than irritation. 

"Feel free to sleep wherever..." Clark was the one to roll his eyes this time, and he dropped his arms defeatedly. "Like you can understand me. I need to stop talking to a cat."

There was a long silence that was spent with the two of them staring at each other. Somehow Bruce felt that he would be disappointed if Clark stopped talking to him.

Which was ridiculous, since Bruce preferred silence all the time, anyway.

Giving up on trying to figure the cat out, Clark shrugged and motioned around the apartment. "Well, sleep wherever you'd like. You don't seem like the kind of cat who snuggles, so feel free to continue being independent."

With that, he turned and went into his bedroom. He left the door ajar, just like he always did, and climbed into bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, however, Clark shot back up again in realization. A name! The cat would need a name. Clark tried to run through some names in his head, but nothing really came to mind. Well, tomorrow was another day, so he could figure it out then. He laid back down and closed his eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Bruce was pacing back and forth on silent paws. The fact that he couldn't make a satisfying stomping noise irritated him, but he made himself focus on more important things. He was trying to fight off sleep, which was weird because he knew that cats were nocturnal for the most part. He glanced back at the closed laptop and sighed. It wouldn't kill him to spend one night as a cat, but he wasn't happy about having to do that. 

...Especially when he couldn't find a comfortable place to sleep. It was infuriating! Weren't cats able to sleep anywhere? Bruce had tried the countertop, but that was too cold. The floor was definitely a no-go; even the rug wasn't very comfortable. As selfish as some people thought him to be, Bruce didn't want to get cat hair all over Clark's couch. That would just be annoying to try and get rid of, and he really didn't want to hear anything from Clark when things were back to normal and Clark found out that the cat had been Bruce the whole time. 

But it was sorely tempting...

Before he could stop himself, he leaped up onto the couch and patted the cushion down before curling up and closing his eyes. Ah yes, this was much better. If Clark complained (but Bruce had a feeling he wouldn't), Bruce could just get him a new couch. Or a cleaning service. Whichever.

It certainly was odd sleeping as a cat, but when he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, he forgot that he wasn't human. That was an interesting thing to note, but he would think about it later. And leaping onto the couch had been much easier than whenever he tried to leap as a human. He huffed but kept his eyes closed. He would  _not_ allow himself to think positively about being a cat. 

~~

Bruce wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Clark was already awake and in the kitchen by the time he woke up. Bruce's instincts made him stretch luxuriously, and he allowed himself to revel in the feeling of a good stretch. A satisfied noise that was between a meow and a deep groan escaped him, but he didn't really think much about it until Clark spoke.

"Hey, sleepyhead!"

Bruce froze.

But then he remembered that he was a cat and the noise that came from him was probably a normal occurrence for cats (and Clark would know, wouldn't he? He'd been around hundreds of cats stuck in trees, probably.). That realization allowed him to relax and he jumped down onto the floor, making his way into the kitchen.

"Your breakfast is over there. I changed it out so the food would be fresh." Clark pointed to the food bowl with his spatula. It was at the end of the counter, along with a bowl of water. 

The cat gave a forlorn groan as he stared at the meal.

Clark laughed in disbelief. "I swear it sounds like you know exactly what you're doing. I know it's probably not the most appetizing, but you have to eat it, buddy."

The cat blinked up at Clark and his tail twitched. Bruce liked to think that he was a man who was above begging, but right now, he was a cat. And right now, he wanted normal food for breakfast. 

Besides, it couldn't be considered begging if he kissed up to Clark just a little, right? Bruce wasn't above manipulation...

He focused on the high kitchen stool at the counter and ignored the way the back half of his body wiggled before he jumped on the top of the stool. He stuck the landing and allowed himself to enjoy the pride he felt. It would have been humiliating if he'd had to scramble up or knock the stool over.

He shifted his gaze to Clark and walked onto the counter before sitting down and curling his tail around his feet.

"You were probably spoiled by your first owners, huh? Trying to look all majestic in the hopes that I'll reward you with a treat?" It was obvious that Clark was enjoying the cat's antics. 

Bruce sat and pondered on just how desperate he was to not eat cat food.

Pretty desperate. 

And again, he wasn't above a little manipulation.

The cat moved over to Clark and rubbed against his forearm just as Clark was putting the fork to his mouth. Clark paused and glanced down at the cat, who had even started purring ever-so-slightly. 

Bruce looked up at Clark to see if he was buying it, but from the way Clark's eyes narrowed, he had a feeling it wasn't working. 

"You..." But Clark was soon laughing and shaking his head. "You can't be real. A cat is actually trying to suck up to me?" Clark gave a fond sigh before shaking his head in resignation. "I know I shouldn't be encouraging you, but you deserve a little something for your effort."

Clark picked up a small piece of scrambled egg and held it to the cat's mouth. 

Bruce wasn't sure he liked the idea of being fed, but he wasn't really in a position to complain at the moment. He took the egg gingerly and carefully chewed, trying to figure out the best way to use his cat teeth. 

Clark reached over to pet the cat but paused when he flinched away from him. "Oh yeah, I forgot that you're one of the many independent cats who doesn't like to be touched."

Bruce remembered that the whole reason he was being affectionate towards Clark was because he wanted food, and he panicked slightly at the idea that he possibly just lost his chance. So, steeling himself again, he rubbed his ears against Clark's hand and pushed into it.

He ignored the spark of happiness in Clark's eyes as he was scratched behind the ears. He genuinely started to purr softly, and Clark's hand moved to stroke down the cat's back.

"I know you're probably only doing this because you want food," Clark said, a hint of disappointment in his tone, "but I'll take what I can get, I guess." He handed the cat another piece of egg and watched as it was taken gently from his hand.

"I still have to name you, don't I?"

_No. Don't get attached, Clark._

The cat ignored him and continued eating the bits of egg that were handed to him. Clark was absent-mindedly stroking along the cat's back, and Bruce noted in a far-off corner of his mind that being doted upon like this wasn't so bad.

But he wasn't going to get used to it.

"I have no idea what to name you," Clark murmured, deep in his thoughts.

A knock on the door broke the peace of the moment and Clark went over to see who was visiting.

Bruce pretended like he didn't want to scratch the face of whoever had the gall to interrupt them. He looked back at the scrambled eggs but decided that eating them without permission wasn't worth the trouble he could get into.

And Clark would probably tease him endlessly about that, too.

Bruce had to be careful about his actions as a cat. He winced internally at all of the questions and teasing that could arise from his manipulation of Clark just to get food.

Well, he'd cross that bridge when he got to it, and hopefully Clark would understand.

"Diana, hi. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" Clark closed the door and watched as Diana made her way over to the kitchen counter.

"Yes. I just thought that I'd come over and see how you're faring with your new roommate." She placed her hand under the cat in a non-threatening way, and it took a minute for Bruce to understand that he was supposed to sniff it.

He hesitantly sniffed the back of her hand and noted that she smelled like cinnamon.  _Interesting_ , he noted.

Diana seemed pleased when the cat didn't hiss at her, so she reached to scratch behind his right ear.

Bruce didn't pull away, but he didn't push into the scratch, either. He merely let it happen, but Diana didn't seem offended.

"He's quite aloof, isn't he?" Diana asked, never taking her eyes off the beautiful creature.

"When he doesn't want something," Clark replied with a smirk.

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't want to eat his cat food, so he tried to act all affectionate as I was eating breakfast."

"Clark, you didn't give him human food, did you?" Diana's tone was one of a disapproving mother.

Clark shrugged and avoided her gaze. "I didn't want him to starve..."

Diana shook her head, but a fond smile appeared on her lips. "Always kind, Clark. But you can't give the cat human food on a constant basis."

"I know that," Clark replied, sounding like a defensive child.

Bruce really didn't see what the issue was, and he moved away from Diana's hand so he could begin to ignore her. He looked up at Clark again and meowed pitifully.

"See Diana?! How can I resist that?" Clark looked helpless.

"You know he's just exploiting your giving side, right?" Diana asked with an amused smirk.

"Yeah. But weren't you the one who said that you didn't think he was that smart?"

Diana shrugged. "I can be wrong sometimes."

Their tones were playful, and it almost sounded like flirting. Bruce gave a low growl that turned into an agitated meow.

Clark handed the cat another piece of egg and ignored Diana's disapproving expression. 

"Have you thought of a name for him yet?" She asked.

"Not yet. I want to give him a meaningful name, not just something random."

"I'll let you know if I think of anything."

"Thanks." There was a pause as Clark handed the cat another piece of egg.

"Have you found out anything new?" He asked Diana, a hopeful look in his eyes.

Bruce turned his head to see Diana's response, seeing if he could gauge what they were talking about.

Diana shook her head and frowned. "I'm afraid not. Some of the other members of the League have been searching all night, but there isn't any sign of him."

Clark sighed and put his fork down on the plate. He wasn't hungry anymore.

Diana placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "We'll find him, Clark." Her lip curled into a half-smile. "I bet that he'll show up soon and chew us all out for focusing our attentions on finding him. He's probably undercover somewhere and didn't tell anyone."

"I hope that's the case. I wouldn't care if he lectured us when he came back, as long as he was safe and in one piece."

An unfamiliar feeling twisted in Bruce's chest as he looked at the expression on Clark's face. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Clark so concerned. The boy scout worried over every little thing, which was nothing new, but this time it was different. 

_I'm fine, and you all would know that if you would just let me use the laptop!_

Now Bruce was grumpy, and it must have been evident in the way the cat's tail twitched violently to the side.

"What's gotten into him?" Diana asked.

"I have no idea. I bought cat toys, but he doesn't play with them. I don't know what more I can do to make him comfortable here."

"Give him time to adjust, Clark. It's a new environment for him with plenty of new scents to learn. If he's smart, he'll soon find out that you're the best owner a cat could have."

Clark smiled at Diana's encouragement and mumbled a shy, "Thanks."

"Oh, catnip might help bring him out of his shell," Diana suggested brightly.

_No way._

"Maybe... I don't like the idea of it."

"It's not a bad drug, Clark." Diana chuckled.

"I know that! Maybe. I'll think about it."

"Okay. Let me know when you've come to a decision. I know a guy." She winked playfully before heading out the door. "I'm going to continue searching. Take your time helping the cat adjust!"


	5. Watchtower Wariness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is revealed that causes Bruce's brain to stop working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay in updating! Thank to everyone who suggested names! They were all great choices for Bruce in his cat form, but I've decided to just go with Bruce since it will be easier for me to not have to switch back-and-forth. Plus, it will just be extremely entertaining to have Clark call the cat "Bruce" whenever the cat does something either Bruce-like or completely out-of-character.

"Wally, I don't think we should be bringing the cat up here," Clark says as he steps out of the transporter. The cat is fast asleep in his arms and appears to be unharmed, but Clark was still worried about how the transporter would affect the cat. 

"Relax, Supes," Wally said, waving a dismissive hand, "the Big-Bad-Bat isn't here."

"There are security cameras, Wally. I'm sure he'll find out eventually that there was a cat in the Watchtower."

"Maybe he'll just be so relieved to be back that he won't get mad at us?" Wally sounded hopefully, but his smile wasn't convincing.

"I doubt it," Clark muttered, but he let it go. It had taken a lot of pleading on Wally's part to get Clark to bring the cat up here. He didn't want the aloof cat to be startled by all of the people in different costumes. And how would the cat react to different species? Clark's curiosity had gotten the better of him and he'd agreed to go with Wally. After all, the cat couldn't escape from Clark's grip, so he wouldn't have to worry about losing him.

The different League members were all doing their own thing when Clark and Wally walked into the common area. Things were actually going smoothly for awhile: Clark was able to talk with Diana, Wally, and Victor about the results of their search for Bruce (they'd found nothing, but at least they were trying), and the cat never stirred. 

Then Kara and Hawkgirl walked into the room and Kara immediately noticed the cat. "It's so cute!" She zoomed over to Clark and Hawkgirl quickly followed after her. They were mooning over the cat while Clark was as tense as a bow string. 

"Don't spook him, please," Clark said quietly. 

"Is it a boy or a girl? What did you name it?" Kara asked, stroking the cat's back.

"It's a boy, and he doesn't have a name yet," Clark replied.

"How long have you had him? It's not right to let him go without a name." Kara was frowning at Clark.

It took all his willpower not to sigh at his cousin. "I haven't had him for that long. Besides, I don't even know if I'm keeping him. He might have an owner who is looking for him."

Suddenly the cat opened his eyes and his head perked up to look at the two new faces. Clark felt the cat tense at first but then relax after a few seconds. Then the cat tried to squirm out of Clark's arms, but they wouldn't budge.

_Clark, let go of me!_

A very pitiful "meeooww" escaped from the cat and Kara and Hawkgirl cooed. "Poor thing! Let him go, Clark. He wants to explore!" Kara said.

"No way! I don't want him getting hurt or accidentally getting launched out of the Watchtower. I didn't even want to bring him here but Wally wouldn't stop asking."

Wally pretended he didn't hear that and continued talking to Diana and Victor.

The cat continued to struggle and meowed again.

_Clark, please just let me go!_

Bruce needed to get to the computers. The ones in the monitor room would be much easier to type on. When he'd first woken up (he hadn't even remembered falling asleep) he'd been startled at the two faces towering over him. His first instinct was to get annoyed and wonder why Clark had even brought him here, but then he'd realized that this was the perfect opportunity to let everyone know what had happened.

"Geez, settle down, will you?" Clark huffed, holding the cat closer to him. 

Bruce decided that a good way to get free was to stop struggling and wait for Clark to relax his grip. That happened a few minutes later when he pretended to be asleep again and Clark was listening to some of the League members' suggestions for names. 

As soon as Bruce felt the hold on him loosen, he relaxed all of his muscles and slid out of Clark's grasp.

"Hey!" 

The cat bolted, and Bruce hoped that Clark wouldn't use his super speed to catch him.

He'd managed to make it into the monitor womb and was just about to type in the password (the fact that a cat had logged into the computers would be a huge clue that something was off, Bruce mused) when he felt hands start to pick him up again.

_No!_

The cat hissed viciously and the hands turned him around. He was now facing Clark but Clark was holding him an arm's length away.

"Clark, let him explore," Kara said again, appearing in the doorway.

"Are you insane? Bruce would kill me if he found out a  _cat_ or any other kind of animal had been in here."

The horrified chorus of "no!" from various League members should have clued Kara into the fact that no one wanted to face Batman's wrath, but right now Kara didn't look like she cared.

"Just tell him to shove it, and let the cat go."

 _Yes, good idea,_ Bruce thought, staring at Clark.

Clark looked back at the cat and narrowed his eyes in thought. Finally, he shook his head and sighed. "I'm not going to risk it. We need to respect the space, and having a cat walk all over the technology in here is a bad idea."

It was at that point that Bruce wondered why he was such a stickler all the time. 

~~~~

They were back at Clark's apartment; the cat would just not stop trying to break free, and Clark was getting tired of it, so he'd transported back to Earth. 

"I think we should name him Bruce," Wally suggested. "Or Bat-cat."

The cat's fur bristled and Clark wrinkled his nose. "I don't think so."

"What about Prince? Or King?" Diana suggested wryly. "He sure acts and looks like he comes from royalty."

A low growl escaped from the cat's throat, but Diana's smirk just grew.

"I don't know..." Clark was obviously struggling with making a decision.

"He glares just like Batman," Wally said with a hint of bitterness to his tone. "Just name him Batsy."

The cat bristled again and Clark winced. "That sounds too prissy."

"He is prissy," Diana and Wally replied simultaneously.

Clark blinked, and Bruce was silently cursing them and thinking of ways to make them pay. Maybe extra monitor time or something along those lines.

Clark had a fond look in his eyes as he studied the cat and began gently stroking his back. "I know that human-Bruce will probably hate it, but I'm just going to call the cat 'Bruce.'"

The atmosphere in the room shifted to a somber mood, and Diana and Wally shared a look of understanding. Clark, however, was still studying the cat.

"Whatever the real Bruce says about it, I think that it is a wonderful name," Diana said gently, giving Clark a warm smile when he looked over at her.

Clark's smile was pleased, but he had a far away look in his eyes.

Bruce was confused at the sudden change in everyone, and his tail twitched in irritation because he couldn't figure out  _why_ it had changed.

 _I'm not dead_ , he thought grumpily.

"Yeah, well, this Bruce is probably the only one who will have some affection for me and appreciate me. Then again, he is a cat."

Bruce narrowed his eyes and looked at Clark. What did he mean by that? Bruce appreciated Clark. Wasn't it obvious?

...No, of course it wasn't, because Bruce went out of his way to keep people at a distance. Even Clark, whom he considered to be his closest friend, was never able to get too close before Bruce put up his walls.

"I still don't see why you like him so much," Wally commented, a note of irritation in his voice. "You deserve someone a lot better, Clark."

Bruce shifted his narrowed eyes to Wally and fought back a hiss. That was his initial reaction, and it took awhile for his brain to catch up with what Wally was actually saying. 

Then his brain short-circuited and he blinked once. Twice.

Wally had only meant that Clark deserved someone better as a friend, right?

Bruce didn't know what to think, or even how to feel. Maybe there had been a few times that the thought had briefly crossed his mind that, in another lifetime, maybe he and Clark could have been something more. But those thoughts were rare and fleeting because he wouldn't let himself entertain the idea for too long. 

"Wally," Diana scolded, looking at him with a frown, "sometimes people cannot help who they fall in love with."

Clark blushed and shifted in his seat. "Whoa! No one's saying anything about love, Diana."

Diana looked at him with a knowing, amused smile. "Of course, Clark, my apologies. Well, Wally and I should be going. It's getting late."

After the others left, Bruce didn't dare move. This was a lot to think about... On the other hand, he could just ignore it and hope he never remembered that conversation again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this chapter was a bit angsty, the next one has catnip in it! :D I couldn't decide if I wanted the catnip to happen before this conversation or after, but I figured I might as well -hopefully- make my readers laugh after making them -hopefully- feel things.


	6. "That's, uh... not mine."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally gets the cat a scratching post, but something isn't quite right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is taken from a line by Puss in Boots in "Shrek 2."
> 
> I'm back! So sorry this has taken so long! I just wanted to post a little something to let you all know that I haven't left the planet or anything. ^^' I should get a longer, more detailed chapter up soon.

"Wow Wally, that was really nice of you," Clark said, holding the new scratching post at arms' length so he could get a better look at it.

Wally was beaming. "I just hope Bruce likes it."

Clark chuckled. "I wonder if that will ever stop being funny." 

Wally laughed along and shrugged. "Probably not."

Bruce slinked around the corner and peered at the scratching post that Clark was currently holding. He wouldn't admit that he felt a bit relieved at the sight of it; his claws were starting to get too long. 

"Here he is now," Wally proclaimed, spotting the cat.

Clark looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Hey, Bruce. What do you think?" He set the scratching post down in a corner of the room. "Try it out."

Not one for being told what to do, Bruce stayed still for a moment before acting like it had been his idea to use the post. As he began scratching it he let out a little purr of relief, but soon he started to see odd colors. And he was feeling... happy.

Something wasn't right. 

 


	7. Fun and Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weirdness continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter makes up for the lack of updates! Thank you once again for all of the kudos and comments.<3

The world seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time. Whenever Bruce moved the direction of his gaze, multiples of the previous view would quickly flash and then fade out into his peripheral. An elated feeling quickly overcame him and Bruce found himself pouncing at a tinsel toy Clark had gotten the first day he'd brought him home. 

Wally giggled while Clark just stared. 

Everything was going so fast! The colors were so bright! Bruce hadn't felt this happy in a long, long time. Since he was a child, probably. His attention was quickly deterred by another toy mouse in the corner, and he bolted after it. He ran into the wall but wasn't phased as he just shook it off, knelt down, wiggled his behind, and  _pounced_ onto the offending mouse. He rolled onto his back and tossed the mouse in the air with his paws. There were so many things to discover! Being a cat was amazing! Why was he so angry about it before? He couldn't remember any reason for why he had ever been grumpy. All he could focus on was how he was feeling in this moment, and what he could attack next. 

_Clark! Look what I can do!_

"Meow!" Bruce made sure Clark was looking at him before he started running back and forth. As Bruce raced back and forth throughout the apartment, followed by Clark's dumbstruck gaze, Wally was on the floor clutching his sides. 

"This is hilarious! Look at him! He's faster than me! Maybe he's a meta-cat?" Wally was wheezing and wiping tears from his eyes.

The more he watched the change in Bruce's behavior, the more amused Clark became. Eventually he was laughing to, and his laughter reached Bruce's cat ears. He stopped running and watched Clark laughing, which in turn made Bruce laugh; but it came out as a purr.

_I need to make him laugh again! Keep him laughing!_ He didn't know why that was his current mission, but he knew that it needed to be done. He continued doing silly things: climbing up one of the curtains and then jumping back down, batting the mouse toy away before running way too fast to be able to catch it and running past it. 

After a few minutes, the elated feeling began to wear off, and Bruce was not happy about it. How could he feel happy again? What was it that had made him feel like this? 

Ah, yes! That scratching post over there!

His paws did a cartoon-style run as he tried to gain traction on the slippery floor, but soon he was running onto the rug and back to the scratching post. He rubbed up against it and scratched the top of it, causing his front legs to be stretched out in a comical way. All of that running had made him dizzy, however, so he just stared at the wall for a good two minutes. He hardly blinked. That wall was very fascinating. 

"Okay, now I'm a bit concerned," Clark commented, glancing over at Wally. 

Wally had stopped laughing and was now looking at Bruce with a raised eyebrow. "That's odd..."

"What did you do to my cat, Wally?" Clark sounded exasperated.

Bruce perked up. That's right! He was Clark's cat.  _Clark's_ cat.

He hurried over to Clark and rubbed up against his leg, his purring sounding like an engine. He weaved in-between Clark's legs but never allowed distance between his fur and Clark's pants. He pressed up against him like he couldn't get close enough, and he heard Clark chuckle. It was a deep rumble from his chest and it gave Bruce a warm feeling. That was a lovely sound. 

_Claaaaaark. I looooove youuuuuu._

"Meeeowwww. Meeeowww. Meooww. Meeeoow!"

Clark laughed out loud. "Is he high?" Clark asked, bending down to scoop the cat into his arms. 

Wally laughed, too. "I guess. I may or may not have put catnip on the scratching post..."

Clark was too amused and reveling in Bruce's sudden affection to be upset.

Bruce rubbed his fluffy cheek against Clark's neck and face, which caused his purring to become even louder.

"I hope he doesn't explode," Clark said with another chuckle. "He sounds like a machine."

"He's really loving you," Wally pointed out with a grin.

"Maybe I should give you catnip all the time, huh?" Clark said, glancing down at the cat.

Bruce just peered back up at him with wide eyes.

"That way you'll always be affectionate," Clark continued.

_I'm sooooo sorry I haven't been affectionate! I'm a horrible cat. Please forgive me, Claaaark._

"Meeeoooow." It sounded like a very pitiful apology, and Clark laughed again. He scratched behind Bruce's ear.

"It's okay, buddy. I'm not going anywhere."

Good. Because Bruce was quite content to stay in Clark's warm arms forever.

~~~~

It was another five minutes before the catnip wore off and Bruce was able to return to his normal, logical self. He remembered everything he'd done earlier, and he would be blushing bright red if he wasn't covered in fur.

They had drugged him.

Okay, that was an exaggeration.

Still, Bruce couldn't look Clark in the eye right now.

And the worst part? Bruce missed being held by Clark. 

Neither of them were supposed to get attached, and Bruce certainly hadn't thought of  _himself_ becoming the more attached of the two. He paced back and forth but stopped when he felt Clark's eyes on him.

"You okay, Bruce?"

_Of course not!_

Not even a meow came from the cat as he glared at Clark. Clark had a guilty, confused expression on his face. But of course he wouldn't expect a cat to be mad at him for accidentally subjecting him to catnip.

Bruce looked away and began pacing again, fully ignoring Clark's presence. After awhile he heard a sigh and then Clark was walking away.

~~~~

"He hasn't been himself, Diana," Clark said into the phone. "He hasn't even tried to walk across my laptop."

Bruce couldn't hear Diana's reply, but he didn't really care. He was over the whole catnip thing, anyway. Now his whole reason for sulking was the fact that he found himself wanting to stay a cat for a little bit longer.

Because it meant that he could be around Clark.

Stupid. This whole thing was so stupid. Clark and his stupid, charming smile.

When Clark looked over at him, Bruce huffed and looked away. 


	8. Affection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Batman's suit is found but that just causes more grief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick little idea I had that I couldn't wait to post.

"Mr. Kent, Batman's suit was found," Alfred said as soon as Clark had picked up the phone.

Clark's breath hitched. "Where?" His voice was quiet.

"In an alleyway... Master Dick found it while out on patrol. But, Mr. Kent..." Alfred's voice wavered and he cleared his throat. "Normally I would say that Master Bruce planned for the suit to be found, but his communicator was with it. Perhaps he has a backup, but the whole situation is just odd.."

Clark's heart plummeted and he closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe and stay focused. Bruce wouldn't want him to get upset or emotional at a time like this. "I'm heading over there now, and I'll you and Dick try to figure it out."

He hung up the phone, changed into his suit, and flew out of the window.

Bruce woke up from his cat-nap minutes later and had no idea where Clark had gone. He probably had to go save someone. Not thinking too much about it, Bruce allowed himself to fall back to sleep.

~~

It was late into the night and Clark still wasn't home. Bruce was getting worried and agitated. Had something happened? Maybe one of the villains had gotten hold of kryptonite...

Bruce heard the curtains rustle in the bedroom and the soft  _whoosh_ that let him know Clark was home. Bruce padded his way over to the bedroom door, but it was closed. He meowed, but Clark didn't respond. He scratched at the door, but there was still no acknowledgement. Now Bruce was getting anxious, and he began pacing in front of the door again.

It was a good ten minutes before the door slowly opened. Bruce stood out of Clark's way and looked up at him. He was taken aback by what he saw.

Clark looked weary and downright exhausted, but what really concerned Bruce was Clark's red eyes. They were still watery, and Clark was sniffling as he went into the kitchen. The way Clark filled the food bowl was almost automatic in its nature. Once Clark put the cat food away, he glanced over at Bruce. "Hey, little guy..." His faint smile didn't reach his eyes. 

Bruce tilted his head and blinked.

Clark's smile fell and he let out a defeated sigh. "It's late. Time for bed."

On his way into the bedroom, he forgot to close the door. Bruce followed him in and watched as Clark put something on the nightstand. It was Bruce's communicator.

Clark was staring at it with a hopeless expression. "I'm so sorry I've let you down, Bruce... I'll find you, though. I know I will."

With one final sigh, Clark turned off the light and pulled the covers up to his shoulders.

So that was what Clark's behavior was about. Bruce knew that he had two choices in that moment: he could either ignore all of the obvious signs and say that Clark was just upset about possibly letting Bruce down (or some other dumb excuse), or he could accept the fact that Clark was actually grieving for him. 

Bruce stared at Clark's back for a long time as he processed all of this information. Clark was actually worried about him. 

Not only worried about him, but he'd  _cried._ A strong affection tugged at Bruce's chest and he gently hopped onto the bed. Clark turned onto his back and saw the cat staring at him again.

There was a brief stare-down before Bruce told his heart to stop freaking out and told his brain to shut up. Then he gently made his way onto Clark's chest and curled up. Clark blinked at him, and Bruce was glad to see that he was surprised. 

Finally,  _finally_ , a small smile appeared on Clark's lips and he gently wrapped his arms around the sleek cat. 

Bruce began to purr.


	9. Appalling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing to say except... If Bruce Wayne was real, he would loathe my existence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. Am. Evil.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> >:)

"Clark," Diana said as she scratched behind the cat's ear.

"Hm?" Clark had just gotten off the phone with Alfred and was not pleased that new information hadn't come up.

"Wally and Victor were talking the other day about Bruce..."

"Cat-Bruce or Human-Bruce?" 

Diana smirked. "Cat-Bruce. When I walked into the room and asked what they were talking about, they thought they had to explain feline anatomy to me."

Clark wasn't following. "You've been on Earth long enough to probably know a lot about cats– and other animals, really."

"Exactly. But it was funny to pretend that I did not know what they were talking about. Once I'd had my fun, however, I realized that they had a point. Although Bruce has not acted on any impulses, you should still consider getting him fixed."

Bruce seized up in terror. He didn't dare look either of them in the eyes.

Clark sputtered. "I hadn't thought of that... Poor guy..." Clark was looking at the cat with a regretful look. "Thanks for reminding me, Diana. I should make an appointment soon."

Diana nodded and began to go back to petting the cat, but she blinked when she saw that Bruce was nowhere to be seen.

~~~~

Bruce hid underneath the bed and kept his eyes locked on the door in case he needed to run again.

 

He really needed to make his real identity known...immediately. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to post a quick update because I had this idea but haven't had time to flesh it out.


	10. Revealed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lois swoops in and wakes Clark up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still here! Thank you again to everyone who comments and leaves kudos. It makes me smile. And I cracked up at all of the comments on the last chapter. They help keep me going with this story because I've honestly hit a point where I don't think that I have anything decent to write about.
> 
> If Bruce seems out-of-character here, I apologize.

Bruce was pouting. He was torn between wanting to go back to normal and staying here with Clark for a little while longer. It was nice not having to worry about Batman's duties from time to time, and that made him feel guilty. But being with Clark and receiving so much affection was, he would begrudgingly admit to himself, nice. ...Okay, it was great. If only he could stop time in Gotham and enjoy being here guilt-free. 

Being stuck as a cat was only barely tolerable when Clark was gone. There was nothing to distract Bruce except the TV, but he didn't risk having it on a lot in case he couldn't quickly shut it off by the time Clark got home. Okay, that could actually be a good way of letting Clark know that something was off about his cat (a slow way, but still). Bruce filed that away as Plan B.

It was early evening when Clark entered the apartment carrying an armful of groceries. Bruce was making his way towards Clark until he saw another figure walk in behind him. 

Lois.

Bruce backed away into the shadow of the dining room table and watched to see what would happen.

"It must be frustrating to know that you could carry all of these by yourself in one trip," Lois mused as she set some more bags on the counter. 

Clark smiled. "Sometimes I'm tempted to, but then I remember that someone could see me. People come and go at all times in this building, so we're really never alone."

"Spooky," Lois teased.

Clark shook his head but was smiling. "Besides getting seen, I'd have to figure out how to carry everything. I'd have to make sure the eggs were balanced and secured so they wouldn't fall and break."

"Always so practical, even with superpowers." Lois began stocking the cabinets with canned food.

They continued their task in silence for a few minutes before Lois stopped and looked over at Clark, placing a hand on her hip. "So, you gonna tell him when he gets back?"

"Tell who what?" Clark wasn't really paying attention.

Lois rolled her eyes and placed a hand on Clark's shoulder, turning him around to face her. "Tell Bruce that you love him."

Clark's eyes widened and he laughed nervously. "I wouldn't call it love, Lois, but I do have... feelings."

"Right. So you're going to tell Bruce Wayne that you have 'feelings' for him." Lois was not impressed.

"I can't just tell him I love him. He'd probably laugh and think that I was joking, or it would be too much too soon and he'd distance himself from me."

"You know him better than I do, but I still think that you need to tell him how his absence made you realize that you think of him as more than just a good friend."

Clark stopped putting groceries away and turned to look at Lois. He gently chewed his lower lip as he tried to stop the churning in his stomach. Trying to ignore the heavy feeling in his chest was proving to be rather difficult. 

Bruce was holding his breath.

"I want to, Lois." Clark's voice was quiet and a bit raspy with an unspoken emotion. He wouldn't take his eyes off the counter top. "Believe me, I want to. But if he doesn't feel the same way..." He looked up with watery eyes. "That could ruin our friendship. And I know it sounds cliche, but I would much rather keep him as a friend than lose him by doing something stupid. And even if we stayed friends, things wouldn't be the same. There would always be that knowledge, even if he thought I'd moved on."

"Clark," Lois said as she placed her hand on his, "You would be in so much pain. I've seen how your demeanor has changed over the years. Whenever I see you two together, it hurts me to see how badly you pine for him." Before Clark could say anything, Lois held up her free hand to stop him. "It's not because I want you to look at me like that. We've had our time, but we're better off as friends. It hurts me because I know how much you're hurting. He doesn't even realize that you look at him like he's the only person in the world. He doesn't see how obvious it is..." She shook her head and sighed. 

"Lois, I'm the happiest when I'm with Bruce. If I ever feel any pain, it's only fleeting. I can handle it."

"For the rest of your life?" Lois's voice was sharp. "For the rest of Bruce's life? You're going to live a long, long time, Clark. You're telling me that you won't have a problem with spending every second of every day for the rest of your life regretting that you never let Bruce know how you really felt? That you missed the chance to have something more with him?"

Clark's expression became neutral and he began to walk away. "I don't really want to think about that right now, Lois..."

"Then when, Clark?" She slammed her palm against the counter, causing both Bruce and Clark to jump. Clark turned to look at her, a bit taken aback that he was the recipient of her persistent nature. "In case you haven't noticed, being a superhero isn't the safest job in the world. Even Superman isn't guaranteed tomorrow, and he's supposed to be invincible. So what about Bruce? He's human."

When she saw that Clark wasn't going to listen anymore, she sighed before telling him something that he really needed to hear. "Bruce could already be dead, Clark." Her tone was gentle yet firm. 

Clark felt his blood go cold.

"I hate to be the one to say it, but we both know that it could be true. And you would have never told him your true feelings. But, knowing Bruce, he's still alive and fighting; and when he comes back, you're telling me that you will not have learned anything from his experience? That his possible death didn't move you enough to take a chance?"

A heavy tension hung in the air as Clark and Lois looked at each other, both trying to read the other's expression. 

Bruce felt nauseous when he saw the broken look on Clark's face. 

"I know he could be dead, Lois. That's all I've been thinking about! Every night I keep picturing him lifeless somewhere because I couldn't find him; because I couldn't keep him safe. I know he would skin me alive if he heard me talking like this but everyone needs help sometimes. I've even had the terrifying thought that maybe he felt the same way about me and died with regret. I've gone through countless possibilities, Lois, and I'm exhausted. It's been weeks, and there has been absolutely no sign of him. That is far too long, even for someone like Batman. Every day I keep losing hope, but I know that I can't because I have to find him. Even if he's dead, I have to find him. I-" Clark's voice cut off as the emotion he was holding in became too much. Lois rushed over to him and hugged him tightly, letting him shed a few tears on her shoulder.

"But you're right..." Clark pulled away to look at Lois. "I have to tell him when I find him." Even if he had to tell it to a corpse. He shuddered at the thought and forced it out of his mind. "Even if he rejects me, at least I won't have this secret to deal with."

"If he's a smart man -and he is- he won't reject you."

"He might tell me it's too dangerous."

"Then he's a fool."

As Bruce sat there and watched Lois console Clark, his mind ran through all of the reasons why the two of them getting together would be a bad idea. But they all paled in comparison to the feeling of joy Bruce felt when he thought about the fact that Clark actually loved him.

Why? Why did Clark love him? Or even "have feelings" for him? He deserved so much better. But oh, if Clark were his, Bruce would give him all of the love in the world; so much that Clark might not be able to stand it. It would be difficult since Bruce wasn't good with showing his emotions, but after being around Clark for so long, Bruce had learned that it didn't begrudge him to return his smile now and then. 

As Clark hugged Lois again, he felt a light pressure circling against his legs. He looked down to see his cat rubbing against him and purring softly. He smiled and ended up chuckling when Lois sneezed. But even she was smirking. "Maybe it's a sign," she said. 

Bruce felt himself being lifted up into strong arms and gently pressed against Clark's chest. He automatically nestled further into the warmth and heard his own purring grow louder.

"I need to go take an antihistamine and work on an article. But please think about what I said."

"I will, Lois, and thank you." 

Lois returned his smile and nodded. "Anytime." Then she was gone. 

Bruce stared at the closed door and told himself that he would have to find a way to thank Lois. ...If Clark even fessed up once he was back to normal. If he didn't, Bruce just might have to take matters into his own paws.

Hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the absence! I have no idea how to finish this story and I don't think it's very good anymore. :/ But don't worry, I'll end up finding some way to finish it. Just bear with me as I try to make it somewhat decent. Just need to vent and say that I know there are probably some obvious things that I could have had Bruce do to get Clark's attention, but then that just would have ended the story in two chapters. But now I'm worried that everything I write won't be good enough. Thank you to those who have stuck with me, though. I really do appreciate it.


	11. Close despite the distance.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Clark bond through some quiet time, but it is soon interrupted by an unwanted guest. Then, Bruce sneaks into a gala being held at the manor and sees something that almost causes him to make a scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for the delay in updating this story. I've hit kind of a block, but I think what I'm going to do is bring this story to its end pretty soon (I have a pretty good idea for the ending) and if I get ideas for kitty!Bruce one-shots, I'll just write those. Also, I want to thank everyone for your amazing comments and kudos!<3 I am going to try to reply to all of them today. It really does help my muse knowing that people are enjoying the story. Also, if anyone wants to write one-shots or has ideas for adventures for kitty!Bruce in this story-verse, just let me know! But chances are I'll say yes because I'd love to see your ideas!

"You two would get along," Clark tells the cat that is currently curled up at his side. "You're both grumpy, aloof... But Bruce is also kind. He wouldn't think so, but I know it's true." A fond expression appeared on Clark's face as he spoke and looked at the picture of Bruce Wayne on a magazine cover. "He has to make the world dislike Bruce Wayne, and I hate it, but I know it's necessary. But sometimes I just wish that I could make people see how much he does for them."

Bruce places his paw on Clark's wrist and stares up at him, trying to convey some kind of message... But he isn't sure what he wants to say. With the way Clark is staring back, Bruce momentarily forgets that he's not a human, and his heart starts beating rapidly. Clark tilts his head and narrows his eyes slightly at the cat's increased heart rate. There is a charged atmosphere around them that instantly dissipates once Clark blinks and shakes his head. Looking back at the cat, he gently scratches behind Bruce's ear and smiles warmly. "There really is something special about you," he says gently. 

Bruce tries to ignore the way his heart twists. After hearing about Clark's feelings for him a few days ago, Bruce has been trying to tell himself that Clark will change his mind. Bruce wouldn't blame him, either. It's hard to keep up a relationship with a Bat, after all. And once Clark finds out that Bruce has technically been living with him? He wouldn't be surprised if Clark became livid and stopped talking to him. Wouldn't Bruce do the same thing? Hm... Well, if it was anyone other than someone Bruce really trusted (like Clark), yes, he would be angry.  

There is a knock on the door and Clark sighs, giving his cat a wry smile. "I hope she doesn't like cats," is all he says before he goes to the door. Bruce narrows his eyes as he wonders what Clark could possibly mean by that. 

When the door opens, a gorgeous blonde woman steps inside and looks around. "Well, you certainly are cuter than Lois described," she says with a suggestive smirk. 

Bruce feels a growl bubbling inside his chest.

"Uh, thanks," Clark mutters, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Listen, I tried to tell Lois that I'm not really doing any interviews this week–"

The woman's laugh is obnoxiously trilled, and Bruce winces as his ears twitch backward. "Oh, sweetie, I'm not here for an interview," the woman practically purrs, trailing her fingers along Clark's shirt. "Not this time, anyway. I just thought that maybe we could get to know each other. You just have this lonely look about you."

Bruce growls menacingly and hears himself hiss before he has a chance to stop it. Clark whips around and looks at the cat with wide eyes while the woman glares at the small intruder. 

"You have a cat?" She asks bitterly.

"Uh, yeah," Clark says, his mood lightening significantly. He gives a secret smile to the cat before looking back at the woman and feigning concern. "I hope that's okay? You're not allergic, are you?"

The woman continues staring at Bruce. "No, I'm not, it's just that..." She slowly turns her glare to Clark. "I'm not a fan of cats."

Clark pretends to look disappointed. "Oh, that's a shame." He walks over to the cat and picks him up, scratching behind his ear. "This little guy is kind of my best friend."

Everything about the woman's demeanor changes as her body becomes rigid. "I see. I don't think this is going to work out." 

"Oh, okay. Bye..." But the woman is out of sight and slamming the door behind her before Clark has finished speaking.

There's a brief moment of pride that Bruce feels and allows himself to revel in before he turns to face Clark. While Bruce feels like he is smirking, the cat's expression closely resembles it. His eyes are narrowed in humor, and Clark laughs. 

"We got rid of her faster than I thought we would. Thanks for the help, buddy."

Before he can tell himself it's a bad idea, Bruce rubs his cheek against Clark's neck and purrs contentedly.  _He_ will be the only one doing the purring, thank you very much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"Yes, Alfred, of course I'll go. I promise it's not an inconvenience. I'll think of ways to cover for Bruce's absence and then I can help you and Dick down in the cave. Okay, see you in  ten minutes." Clark hangs up his phone and puts it in his pocket. When he sees Bruce come aroud the corner, he shrugs slightly. "Sorry, buddy, but I need to go."

Bruce had heard Clark's end of the conversation with Alfred, and he was determined to go with Clark. He needed to get to the cave's computer so he could finally tell him what happened. He was feeling the loss of his time spent with Clark, but he knew that this might be his only chance to get changed back. Gotham needed him again, and he was sure that Alfred and Dick were worried sick; he couldn't afford to be selfish anymore.

Clark seems to understand the knowing look the cat is giving him, because he shakes his head. "You can't come with me." As soon as Clark goes into the bedroom to grab his glasses, though, Bruce jumps into the messenger bag. He startles slightly when he feels the bag being lifted into the air, and he digs his claws into the material. 

With his supersenses, however, Clark knows exactly where his cat is hiding. "Bruce," he says, putting the bag down on the counter and opening the flap. He gives Bruce a disapproving glance. 

Bruce avoids his eyes.

"Bruce, you can't come with me." He moves to take the cat out the bag (and tries not to be amused by that) but Bruce is growling lowly at him. Clark blinks and moves his hand away. "Don't do that." When he tries to pick Bruce up again, though, the cat hisses at him and bats at his hand.

"Bruce!" Clark admonishes. The claws can't hurt him, but he isn't thrilled with the cat's sudden change in behavior towards him. 

Bruce is still growling and he glares at Clark while he raises his haunches. Clark stares the cat down for a minute before finally giving up. He lets out a frustrated sigh. "I don't have time for this." Before Bruce can react, Clark scoops the cat out of the messenger bag and holds him close to his chest. "If you so much as cause trouble tonight..."

Bruce mentally rolls his eyes.

As Clark lifts off the ground, Bruce instinctively digs his claws into the sleeve of Clark's shirt and braces himself. But just like the last time Clark flew with him, he's gentle. He's going fast, of course, but not so fast that Bruce could be harmed. 

"I'm going to be a few minutes late because of you," Clark says, glaring down at the cat. Bruce merely blinks up at him innocently, causing Clark to sigh again. "I hope you're happy." But there is no venom in his voice, and he even sounds slightly amused. 

Bruce purrs and snuggles closer in order to appease Clark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah, Master Clark, I was beginning to worry," Alfred says when he opens the door.

Clark gives an "I told you so" look to the cat before stepping inside the manor. "Sorry about that. Bruce wanted to come with me."

At the raised eyebrow from Alfred, Clark blushes slightly and averts his gaze. "I... sort of named the cat 'Bruce.'"

Alfred glances at the cat and huffs in amusement. "Clever. I trust he's living up to his namesake?"

Clark rolls his eyes and mutters, "You have no idea..."

"And just how are we going to keep this cat contained? If he's anything like Bruce, he will find a way to escape."

"Maybe we can put him in Bruce's room?"

Even Alfred looks a bit frightened at the thought, and Clark realizes what he's just suggested. Putting a cat in Bruce's room? Ha. That's a sure-fire way to get kryptonite shoved down his throat.

"Right," he amends, looking around. "Is there a study? Or could Dick entertain him?"

"I'm afraid Master Dick is the host this evening. Since Bruce Wayne is unable to attend..."

"That makes sense," Clark replies.

"I suppose we could put the cat in one of the guest rooms. This way, please."

Alfred leads Clark upstairs and opens the door to a room that obviously hasn't been used in awhile. It's not that it's dusty (Alfred obviously makes sure to clean the whole manor) but everything in the room looks like it's hardly been used. 

Clark almost smacks himself on the forehead. "I completely forgot the litter box. I can fly back and get it–"

"Nonsense, Master Clark. I'll just put down some old newspaper."

Bruce huffs, which sounds like a small sneeze. If they only knew why he wasn't going to be using old newspaper. 

"Bless you," Clark says absent-mindedly.

The cat and Alfred both blink at him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once the door is closed and Bruce is certain that Alfred and Clark are downstairs, he searches the room for anything that might prove useful in revealing himself. He isn't surprised to not find anything, but he isn't too worried. He'd practiced opening doors with his paws, and he'd gotten quite good at it. Thankfully, Alfred hadn't locked the door. 

Smirking to himself, Bruce focuses all of his energy on the door handle and prepares to pounce. Once again, his rear wiggles (he'd have to look up exactly why that happened to cats) before he runs and jumps towards the handle. Wrapping his paws around it, he uses the weight of his falling body to bring the handle down. With the momentum he'd gathered, the door manages to swing slightly open. It isn't much, but it's just enough for Bruce to squeeze through.

He pads down the staircase and looks out over the party. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, but Bruce knows that appearances can be deceiving. Everyone is too wrapped up in bragging about their charitable ways to notice a black cat slinking behind potted plants and furniture, so Bruce easily manages to get to the entrance of the cave without being noticed or followed. 

The entrance to the cave is open, and Bruce narrows his eyes. How many times has he told Dick to close the entrance, especially when there are guests in the manor? But since Bruce doesn't have to worry about how to get into the cave in his cat form, he figures he can let this one time slide.

As he silently makes his way down the stairs, he hears Dick's voice.

"I'm sure it's not what it looks like, Clark." Dick's voice is gentle.

Bruce's ear twitches when he hears Clark sigh. Once Bruce is at the bottom of the stairs, he hides behind one of the work benches and follows Clark's gaze to the computer screen.

His heart drops at the image he sees.

On the large monitor, there are blueprints for a new kind of weapon. A kryptonite weapon. More specifically, a kind of kryptonite weapon that can easily slip past Clark's defenses and take him out quickly and quietly.

Bruce had found the blueprints when he was hacking into Lexcorp's computers, and he'd been tempted to delete them right then and there. But he knew that he would need to study the plans in order to make something that Clark could use in defense. And, well, Bruce hated to admit it to himself, but the small part of him that worried about Clark becoming irrevocably evil still nagged at him. It wasn't that he didn't trust Clark, it was just the fact that Bruce knew that he needed to prepare for anything. Bruce even had instructions for how to take Batman down if he should ever fall so far that he couldn't be brought back; he just hadn't gotten around to giving them to Clark yet. It would be difficult to explain the directions, though, since they weren't written down and they were in a kind of code. 

Would Clark even let Bruce explain once he was back to normal? 

The expression on Clark's face made Bruce's chest ache.

"It's not really the fact that he's making a weapon like this that hurts... It's more about the fact that he still thinks he needs to keep things like this from me. Doesn't he trust me?" He looks over at Dick, and the boy shrugs, looking just as confused as Clark.

"I don't know, Clark. I thought he trusted you, too. But we can't jump to conclusions, right? Don't you say that sometimes?"

Clark scoffs out a bitter laugh. "But just look at this, Dick!" He motions to the screen. "How much clearer can it be?!"

Dick looks at the screen and winces.

_ Come on, _   _Clark,_ Bruce silently pleads,  _You know I wouldn't do that to you. Not anymore. Have a little faith._

Clark shakes his head. "I don't know what to think anymore, Dick, but I'm not giving up on finding him. I just... I need some time to think."

"I understand. The best place to hide at a gala is outside, just in case you were wondering," Dick offers.

Clark nods his thanks before going back upstairs, unaware of the cat at his heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger because I'm eeeviilllll. >:)


	12. Know that I can change.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELP. I didn't realize that it has been two months since I last updated this story. Thank you to everyone for being so patient with me! I'd planned on getting this chapter up sooner but it was my birthday last week so that made things a little hectic. But I'm back!
> 
> I just noticed that I keep switching tenses, and I apologize! I'm not sure how many of my readers noticed, so I might not have even needed to point it out, but it's a pet-peeve of mine so it bothered me. xD While I like present tense, it can get a bit confusing when one of the characters thinks about or mentions the past, so I am going to stick with past tense. Unless present tense is really popular...

Before the French doors closed, Bruce slunk through them and hid behind a large potted plant, never taking his eyes off of Clark. 

Clark, meanwhile, is making his way over to a stone railing that looks out over the gardens. The area only had about ten people scattered about and Clark was thankful for the time to himself. He was trying to think logically about the blueprints he'd seen on Bruce's computer, but his emotions took over. While he understood the importance of having a weapon that could take down Superman, he didn't understand why Bruce would hide it from him. Had he done something to lose Bruce's trust? The thought made his heart twist and he felt slightly nauseous. 

Bruce didn't move from his spot behind the plant, and he hated not being able to know what Clark was thinking. He really needed to get out of his cat form so he could explain everything. An irrational part of Bruce wanted to print the blueprints out just so he could have the satisfaction of tearing them to shreds, whether with his claws or hands. He heard Clark sigh, and just as Clark was about to turn to go back inside, there was a commotion inside the manor. 

Both Clark and Bruce hurried into the main hall. It took Clark some time to push through the crowd in order to get to the front, but Bruce used his new type of agility to his advantage to dart between people's legs and was up front in no time at all. What he saw in the center of the room caused all of his muscles to tense up. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, do forgive the interruption, but I wanted to surprise you all with a little magic show."

Cyprus!

Things could go very wrong very quickly, and as much as he wanted to jump out in order to get Cyprus's attention, he knew that would give away his identity. Or Cyprus would just figure that "Catman" found a place to stay, but Bruce didn't want to take that kind of risk. So, while Cyprus was rambling on about who he was "for those who might have forgotten," Bruce slinked back into the crowd and looked for Clark. 

Everyone seemed so focused on the babbling man in the center of the room that they hadn't seemed to notice a cat weaving between their legs. The last thing that was needed was for someone to shriek "cat!"

Bruce's brain worked quickly to come up with the best plan. When he made his way over to Clark, he brushed up against the man's leg, thankful that the other hero wasn't sucked into this whole madness.

Clark looked down and almost started in surprise. "How did–?" But he stopped short, remembering where he was. He silently scooped the cat up into his arms and made his way back towards the guest bedroom. Once they were upstairs and out of earshot, the cat began to squirm and meow loudly.

"Bruce, stop! Geez, how did you even get out of there, anyway? You're just as much of an escape artist as the real Bruce."

The cat gave a desperate meow that was so sharp it made Clark stop walking. "What?!" It was obvious that Clark was losing his patience now, but when the cat returned his glare with an eerily similar one that he'd seen before...

"Bruce?"

The cat gave a low growl in acknowledgment. Clark's eyes widened and he almost dropped the cat. "No, it can't be..." But maybe it was. Or maybe the cat at least knew where he could find Bruce. 

The cat meowed in annoyance, shaking Clark out of his trance. "Do you know where Bruce is? Or are you Bruce? Show me where to go." He gently placed the cat on the floor and hurried to catch up with it. It had taken off so fast that Clark could have sworn that it had super speed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was debating back and forth between keeping my original character or replacing him with a canon villain. Since my knowledge of the complete DC universe is lacking, I didn't want to mess something up. Plus, I personally like seeing OCs in fanfictions, so I can only hope that Cyprus is a decent one!


	13. I know him.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Bruce finally be changed back?

"Master Richard, stop that cat-"

"No! Leave him be," Clark interrupted, ignoring Alfred's bewildered glare.

Dick was torn between who to listen to, but his moment's hesitation allowed Bruce time to hop onto the desk and place his paw on the keyboard. When no one seemed to be taking the hint, he batted the keyboard rather insistently with his paw.

"Don't do that!" Dick chided anxiously, not wanting the animal to break anything.

"He wants us to do something," Clark said, trying to gauge the cat's reaction.

Bruce internally rolled his eyes before tapping rapidly on the keyboard with both paws. When a few seconds had passed, Bruce stopped and looked back over to Clark.  _Now do you get it?!_

"Meeooow."

With a start of clarity, Clark hurried over to the keyboard and pulled up a blank word document. Funny how a computer as sophisticated at this one would have a writing program...but Clark would joke about it later. Right now, he watched the screen with his complete focus. Slowly but surely letters began appearing on the blank page as the cat carefully hit the keys with his claws.

 

 

> I AM BRUCE.

As much as Bruce wanted to type something sarcastic like "now that I finally have your attention," he knew that this wasn't the time; he needed to be straightforward. He was met with blank stares from Alfred and Dick (they were probably still too shocked over the fact that a cat was typing, but Clark was slowly turning pale.

 

 

> CLARK.

Since Clark was the only one paying attention, Bruce would speak to him directly for now. Clark hesitantly dragged his gaze over to the cat and swallowed nervously. 

 

 

> CYPRUS IS UP TO SOMETHING.

"Cyprus?" Clark asked.

"Who's Cyprus?" Dick overlapped.

 

 

> A MAGICIAN WITH A GRUDGE. NO TIME TO EXPLAIN. BUT I NEED YOU TO TAKE ME TO HIM SO I CAN

Darn these slow paws!

 

 

> GET CHANGED BACK.

"OH! So you were turned into a cat!  _That's_ why we couldn't find you!" Dick happily volunteered.

"This whole time?" Clark's voice sounded small. He was probably remembering some of the things he'd said in front of the cat, but Bruce needed him to pay attention.

 

 

> YES. BUT NO TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT NOW. FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET ME TO CYPRUS.

It took a few moments, but eventually Bruce saw Clark's game face and he internally breathed a sigh of relief. Clark quickly changed into his Superman suit and picked up the cat, nodding briefly to Alfred and Dick.

"Good luck," he heard Dick say as he left out of the other cave entrance. 

* * *

 

Superman flew around to the back garden and saw through the glass doors that Cyprus was still standing in the middle of the room. He was also still rambling, but a few gowns and suits were charred at the edges and still smoking. 

"Cyprus," Superman called authoritatively. 

Bruce ignored how the other hero's chest rumbled against his back.

Cyprus nearly fell over in surprise and looked up when he righted himself. "S-Superman?! What are you doing here?!"

Everyone in the crowd turned to where Cyprus was looking and gasped in awe. And... was Superman holding a cat?

"Come outside and change him back." Superman ignored the magician's question.

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb! Come outside and return Batman to his normal form."

There was a heavy pause as Superman and Cyprus stared each other down. Finally, Cyprus sighed heavily and trudged outside like a petulant child.

"Well, at least you found him for me," the magician admitted.

Superman tilted his head in question.

"I told him that I'd find him as soon as I figured out how to change him back," Cyprus elaborated.

Superman had a sinking feeling. "And did you figure out how?" He floated down until his feet were flat on the ground.

"I think so..."

"You think so?!" Superman was growing agitated again.

"It's the best I can do, man! I've thought of everything. I didn't want to kill him, and I still don't! But I can't promise that changing him back won't hurt."

Superman looked down at the cat and met his gaze in a silent question. Bruce was nervous, of course, but he needed to try to change back.

He couldn't stay this way forever.

"If you change him back, will he have clothes on?"

Both Cyprus and the cat looked at Superman as though he had three heads. 

"I beg your pardon?" Cyprus looked offended.

"Will he have clothes on once you change him back?" Superman enunciated each syllable.

Bruce now knew where Clark was going with this, and he was grateful. 

"I- I don't know! Why does it matter?!"

"At least let Batman keep his dignity, Cyprus."

The cat purred in amusement.

Cyprus sighed before looking over his shoulder at the crowd of people still staring at them. "Alright, fine. Let's go over there where no one can see."

When they were in a dark corner outside, Clark quickly x-rayed the manor to make sure that no one was around any windows. When the coast was clear, he put the cat down onto the grass. He petted the cat on the head before reluctantly pulling away, a longing, regretful sort of look in his eyes.

Well, this was it.

"As soon as you change him back, turn around," Superman warned Cyprus. His tone left no room for argument.

"I will, sheesh! I may be curious as to who Batman really is but I'm not  _that_ curious. I can even close my eyes while I change him back; it won't make a difference." Cyprus looked straight at the cat and lifted his arms, stretching his hands out as though reaching for the creature. The amateur magician looked more than nervous, and Bruce had to push away his own panic. After taking a deep breath, Cyprus closed his eyes, envisioned the cat turning back into Batman, and then made a small motion with his hands.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce is finally returned to normal but things are tense and awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So wanna hear a funny story? I typed this chapter up on my actual laptop and thought, "I'm going to add a bit more to it before I post it." Then a week goes by, and I somehow manage to think that I've already posted this chapter and completely forget that I was planning on adding more to it. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> I'm a sucker for cliffhangers... I'm sorry. But I hope that the little explanation from Bruce's point of view at the end makes up for it and doesn't leave /everything/ uncertain. 
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who has left kudos, comments, and those who have just read the story! I'm really overwhelmed by the support and I love reading all of your reactions.

There wasn’t a flash of smoke or anything brilliant. One minute a cat was standing on the grass, and the next minute Batman was standing there. At least, that’s what Clark could tell you, because he hadn’t been watching. He had looked away just in case Bruce changed back au naturale.

“Okay, Cyprus,” Batman said sternly, causing Clark to return his gaze. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he saw that Batman was returned to normal, cowl and all.

Cyprus slowly turned around, deciding that keeping his sarcastic comments like “Are you decent? Is it safe to turn around now?” to himself was probably the smartest thing to do. The silence made him anxious as Batman just glared at him, and it didn’t take long for Cyprus to tear his gaze away and look like a guilty child.

“What are you going to do with him, Batman?” Clark asked cautiously. He didn't blame Bruce for being angry about getting turned into a cat, but Cyprus didn’t seem evil. He just seemed… lost.

There were another few moments of tense silence before Batman finally let out a reluctant sigh. “Have you ever heard of Zatanna?”

Cyprus’s eyes lit up and he nodded.

“Great. Well, I’ll speak with her and see what she thinks is the best punishment.” Batman did not sound pleased with his decision, but he really didn’t think Cyprus deserved something horrible. Maybe Zatanna could give the rusty magician a taste of his own medicine.

Being a cat under Clark’s care really turned him soft; he knew he shouldn’t have stayed with him for so long. Not even thinking that Clark would take it personally (Batman had to keep up appearances, after all) he faced him and continued glaring. “Thank you for the assistance, Superman.”

Clark’s heart sank when he saw Bruce’s glare, and any words he wanted to say got caught in his throat. He could only nod; too wrapped up in his thoughts about how things were going to be extremely awkward now. He wasn’t going to delude himself into thinking that Bruce had no memory of what had been said during his time as a cat, nor did he think that Bruce had been unable to understand him or anyone else.

Batman was about to leave and contact Zatanna, but the look on Clark's face made him pause. Why did he look so forlorn? And he hadn't said anything, not even uttering a typically cheerful reply. Batman's glare deepened as he felt frustrated with the confusion, and he was also glaring because, well, now he couldn't avoid talking about the things he'd heard Clark say when he'd thought that Bruce was just a regular cat. 

He believed that Clark would give him some time before bringing up the complicated subject, but he was dreading it because he had no idea what he was going to say in response. He could no longer deny that he had feelings for Clark, but being together would be too complicated. Besides, he couldn't ask anyone to be Batman's romantic partner; it wouldn't be fair.

Clark didn't look like he was going to say anything, and that caused Bruce to feel a twinge of disappointment. He nodded brusquely at Superman once more before saying, "Mind keeping an eye on Cyprus while I contact Zatanna?"

Clark blinked and quickly processed what Bruce had asked him. "Of course. Take your time."

Not so soft that he would say "thank you" twice in the same night, Batman merely nodded again and, sending one last threatening glare at Cyprus, got out his grapple gun and shot up to the roof. He couldn't very well go right back to the cave and risk having his true identity revealed, so he would have to circle around to make it look like the Bat had gone away. Besides, Bruce trusted Clark enough to take Cyprus away from the manor.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am actually really going to miss writing cat!Bruce. :( But I might have inspiration for little one-shot snippets. Here's hoping! If not, I'd love to see others' takes on him. :) Also, I’m just going to hand wave over some stuff because details, details…


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark and Bruce finally man-up enough to have a conversation that they both know will change their lives forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh! I'm back! Thank you so much, everyone, for your support and patience with me! I told you all I would finish this story, and I can only hope that this ending was worth the wait. Happy New Year!

It had been two weeks since the night Bruce was turned back into a human, and Superman hadn't spoken to him since. There were league meetings, but the little conversation they had was simply about business, and then they'd leave as soon as possible. The other league members saw it, but it didn't seem to bring team morale down; everyone was just confused and Barry was the only one who was actually concerned.

No one else knew that Bruce had been turned into a cat. As far as they knew, Batman had gone undercover in Metropolis. It wasn't a complete lie... Clark had to wonder what kind of information Bruce gathered while he was alone in the apartment for hours whenever Clark was at work.

Clark was in the kitchen trying to muster up the willpower to call Bruce. They had to discuss what happened eventually. But the thought of Bruce rejecting him and their friendship being ruined... Well, Clark would rather stay in this weird limbo right now than lose Bruce's friendship. 

He mindlessly searched through the pictures on his phone, just to procrastinate a little while longer. But then he happened upon a video he had taken of Bruce when he was a cat: 

" _Bruce_!  _What_  did you do?! _"_ Clark's exasperated voice rang through the phone's speakers as the screen focused on a black cat sitting next to shredded curtains. The cat simply blinked at him, looked back at the curtains, looked back at Clark, and blinked again.

"Why would you do this?" The laughter was bubbling out of Clark's chest despite his best attempts at trying to sound upset. He had been upset, but the way the cat was just sitting there, looking all innocent despite the bits of shredded cloth on his claws, was too funny. 

The cat just meowed and it almost sounded like an "oh well." 

"Bruce... Bruce just tore up my curtains, and I have no idea why. What did I do to deserve this?" Clark's tone had been full of amusement, and the whole video caused Clark to start laughing out loud in his kitchen. In all of the weird, depressed stasis that he was in these last two weeks, he'd forgotten just how funny that had been. He kept swiping through his phone and smiled fondly at some pictures he'd tried to take of the cat; the cat never looked pleased.

A warmth opened up in Clark's chest as he decided that he was tired of waiting around. He would talk to Bruce, and even if the outcome was bad, at least he'd tried. Not sure how else to bring the topic up, Clark sent the video to Bruce.

As usual, Bruce knew exactly what Clark was getting at. Twenty minutes later, a text came through on Clark's phone:  _The manor. 8 PM.–B._

Clark smiled slightly and took a deep breath. This was it.

~~

He arrived at exactly eight o'clock, but he showed up as Clark Kent because it had been Clark, not Superman, who'd talked about his love for Bruce. It wasn't his reporter alter-ego, either. This was just Clark, and he could see the brief flash of relief on Bruce's face when he opened the door.

"Were you expecting anyone else?" Clark asked, smiling slightly.

The corner of Bruce's mouth quirked up. "Just someone dressed in red and blue. Come in."

He stepped aside and closed the door behind Clark.

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, not meeting each other's gaze.

"Why don't we sit down?" Bruce offered, motioning towards the main living room.

"Okay."

They both ended up sitting next to each other on the couch, even though that hadn't been there intention. Another long silence passed, but the awkward atmosphere quickly transformed into a more somber one. 

Finally, Clark spoke up. "I miss my cat," he said softly, staring at the floor.

Bruce huffed so quietly that Clark's hearing almost didn't pick it up.

"I mean it, Bruce." Clark looked over at his best friend and felt his throat tighten.

Not expecting Clark to be looking at him, Bruce looked over at him and blinked before quickly averting his gaze again.

"I'm sorry." But it sounded more like an unsure question.

"Don't you miss it? Even a little bit?" Clark asked, moving a bit closer to Bruce.

Bruce looked at him with an unimpressed expression, and Clark quickly corrected himself. "Not the cat part. I meant... I don't know..." He shrugged nervously. "Staying with me? I know you hate being away from Gotham, but–"

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, I miss it."

Clark merely stared at the unexpected revelation. Was Bruce being serious right now, or was he teasing Clark?

Bruce sighed reluctantly. Okay, so he  _was_ being serious. Clark felt his heart beat faster.

"Don't you  _ever_ tell this to another soul..." he pointed a finger at Clark, who then proceeded to nod fervently, "...I might slightly miss being a cat."

Clark's expression was extremely serious for only one second before it was crumbling apart and he was smiling while amusement sparkled in his eyes.

"Go ahead and laugh. I even found it a little funny," Bruce grumbled, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Knowing how much you love working," and by 'working,' Clark meant 'patrolling,' "I'm sure you don't mean you enjoyed sitting around all day. What part of it do you miss? Unless you don't want to tell me. I'd understand."

Bruce was silent and Clark nudged him a little, starting to feel like their familiar dynamic was coming back. That helped him feel less awkward and uncertain. 

"But come on," he whined playfully. "You have to tell me now. You can't just leave it at that!"

Bruce rolled his eyes but Clark caught the brief smile on his lips. "Alright, fine, I'll tell you."

Clark grinned and Bruce suddenly found it easier to be honest with him. "The pampering was nice. Being able to get you to do whatever I wanted wasn't so bad, either."

Clark's grin grew wider. " _Almost_ everything," he corrected.

Bruce half-smiled. "Almost everything. You wouldn't budge on keeping the laptop open."

"Yeah, I guess I really delayed your transformation, huh?" Clark rubbed the back of his neck nervously and averted his gaze.

Bruce shrugged. He'd been angry, at first, about his thwarted attempts to tell Clark what had happened; the longer he stayed a cat, the longer he would have to stay away from Gotham. But thankfully things had stayed pretty quiet, and Bruce had learned that when Dick wasn't searching for him, he was patrolling the streets and stopping minor crimes–the only crimes happening at that time.

Logically, Bruce knew that it was a lucky break and something like this couldn't happen again, but he didn't want to stay angry at Clark. 

"I'm back now," Bruce replied simply.

Clark nodded and stayed silent as he thought of how to put into words what he wanted to say next. "I was really worried about you. I- I didn't think anyone would ever find you, and then we found your costume..."

Bruce didn't move, but Clark knew that the stillness was an encouragement for him to continue.

"I thought you were dead." Clark's voice was slightly raspy. "And when I thought that you'd died without knowing how I really felt about you... My reasoning for not telling you seemed really stupid."

"Not telling me what?" Bruce asked quietly. He had a feeling he knew what Clark was talking about, but knowing Clark, there could have been a lot of things that Clark had wanted to tell him.

Clark huffed out a nervous, self-deprecating laugh. "What you ended up hearing in a way that I hadn't intended. That I love you."

Bruce had tried to prepare himself to hear Clark say those words directly to his face, but he still felt his heart stop. He didn't know what to say, but Clark didn't seem to be expecting him to say anything because he continued on.

"I'm sorry you had to find out the way you did, but- But..." Clark's fortified his resolve and stood up a little straighter. He turned to look at Bruce unapologetically. "But I'm not sorry that I said it. I'm not sorry that I feel the way I do."

The sudden change in Clark kept Bruce floored to his spot, and the weight of the admission pressed down on his chest.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Bruce asked gently.

Clark looked at him like he still had cat ears on his head. "I didn't want it to change our friendship if you didn't feel the same way. I didn't want to put you in that kind of awkward position. Besides, wouldn't you have been the first to mention that it wouldn't be a good idea for us to be together?"

Bruce couldn't help giving a small, amused smile. "You know me too well."

Clark nodded and laughed softly. "Yeah, I guess I do."

There was a contemplative silence as Bruce thought about his answer and Clark waited patiently to hear it. There were plenty of reasons why being together was a bad idea, but they all involved the outside world and not just the two of them. Looking at their possible relationship from an outside view, there were a lot of risks involved. All of the villains that each hero had to deal with could use that knowledge to their advantage, and Bruce didn't want to be Clark's weakness; he knew that Clark wouldn't want to be his, either. Then there was the problem with their civilian identities. Even if it made unquestionable sense for a billionaire to date a reporter for a newspaper in a completely different city, being seen together so often would have to bleed suspicion into the minds of those who saw Batman and Superman working together. Right? 

But Bruce had faced the media after his return from training all those years ago, and no one gave it a second thought. Being in a relationship with Clark would have its challenges, but Bruce enjoyed challenges; facing them was part of the fun of being Batman, after all. 

"We couldn't go public with our relationship for awhile. Not until I've made contingencies plans and figured out how to keep the media from being too suspicious for too long."

Clark snickered and shook his head. There a fond expression on his face and Bruce bristled slightly. "What?" He asked.

"It's not surprising that you would treat our relationship like one of your cases," Clark replied with a smile.

Bruce winced internally and shifted on the couch to face Clark. "That makes it sound bad, as though–"

But Clark cut him off by taking his hand. When Bruce's eyes returned after sneaking a glance at their joined hands, he saw that Clark had a grin on his face. 

"No, no! I'm happy. It just means that our relationship is really important to you."

"Of course it is!" 

Clark laughed again, sounding (impossibly) more happy than he'd been five seconds ago. "I'm glad, honestly. That's part of what makes you  _you_ , and that's one of the reasons why I love you."

Bruce felt his heart stutter again and he wished he had the cowl on to cover up the slight blush on his face. It would take a long time for him to get used to being complimented like that, especially when it happened with Clark sounding so open and honest.

"I haven't said for certain yet if I want to be in a relationship," he grumbled. 

The light in Clark's eyes flickered briefly before it returned brighter than before. "But...?" He had a knowing smirk on his face, and Bruce wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss it or slap it off of him. 

Bruce glared at him for a long time, but there wasn't much heat behind it. "I would say that a good reason we can't be together is that I have a hard time saying 'no' to you, but that would be a lie because I've had that problem for a long time."

Clark's grin widened and he felt his own heart beat faster. "That's another of the many things we have in common."

Bruce groaned good-naturedly and Clark laughed again.

"You know I'll probably worry too much about the ramifications of our new relationship, right?"

Clark nodded but easily kept his smile. "I forgot to mention it before, but I'm glad our relationship won't go public right away. I enjoy my privacy, too. Even if we kept it to ourselves and some close friends and family for the rest of our lives, I would be happy. I don't need the world to know who I'm dating."

Those words wrapped around Bruce's heart and glowed warmly, which caused him to gently squeeze Clark's hand before he could stop himself. "You deserve so many good things, Clark, and I don't know if you'll be able to get them all from me. I'll do my best to give you everything you've always wanted, but I can't say that it will be easy for me to completely give up my mission." Then he waited with an uncomfortable, nauseous feeling for Clark to be hurt and second-guess the whole idea.

But Clark stayed resolute, and even though his smile faded, his expression wasn't one of hurt feelings. In fact, Bruce felt like Clark was loving him more in that moment.

"I wouldn't ask you to do that, Bruce. Just like I know you would never ask me to stop saving people. I've never expected any relationship of mine to be easy or perfect, but I know that facing challenges with the person I love is better than a -possibly- easier life alone."

Bruce shook his head slightly and opened his mouth to say something, but Clark quickly added, "Before you say anything about how I might be making things worse by being so easy-going, the only thing I would really want in our relationship that might pose a challenge is the ability to go on vacation."

Bruce was gobsmacked at how easily Clark had known what he was going to say, and then he was even more surprised at Clark's request for vacations. Vacations were easy- Ah. Sometimes Bruce forgot just how smart Clark could be when it came to being realistic about the little things. Vacations for their civilian identities wouldn't be cut short very often by world-ending disasters or lives needing to be saved, but being a billionaire and a reporter weren't the only jobs Bruce and Clark had. 

"I'm not saying that I would shut the world out entirely and not save people who really need it, but I would like to have a few days or even one week to ourselves. Besides, the League can always take care of things whenever we're gone, and we wouldn't cut off all contact with them. Other than that, we can work together to find a solution whenever we have a problem. We've always done that before."

Bruce sighed. He knew that Clark was right, but Bruce needed to be the one to plan for the possible "what-if's." "Yes, we have been able to work together in the past even when we disagreed, but we were just teammates. This would be something more, Clark. And I'm not saying that you would hurt me on purpose, but I can't afford to give myself to someone completely and then be left with cloudy judgment after they decide that they don't want to deal with my issues anymore."

So this was part of the reason Bruce was so hesitant. Clark could understand where he was coming from. After all, Clark's own work as both Superman and a reporter had been difficult to get through after his breakup with Lois. But Bruce never allowed himself to be so attached to someone, whereas Clark had had experience and remained optimistic. He could reassure Bruce all he wanted that he would never do that, but actions speak louder than words.

"Okay, so we take things slow," he suggested softly.

Bruce looked at him with an uncertain expression.

"Very slow," Clark amended. "I'm in no rush. I waited so long for this kind of moment, after all. I think it's good to remind you that I've remained your friend all of these years and I've seen the worst side of you, but I'm still here. I still want to have a life with you; I still want to _try_ to have a life with you, in order to prove that I won't ever abandon you. Not if I'm in my right mind, anyway. But mind control is a different story."

Bruce smirked and Clark felt the tight band around his own chest loosen up. He returned Bruce's smirk with a hesitant but eager smile of his own. Despite the silence, Bruce was already certain what he was going to decide. Yes, it was risky to go into a romantic relationship with Clark. It was risky because of their friendship, their alter-egos, and too many other things to count. But Bruce also remembered how it felt to sleep next to Clark and wake up feeling safe despite the fact that he wasn't in his own, normal body. This would also be a good way to test how well he and Clark could stay objective in League business and other superhero things while also sharing a life together. And it wasn't like Clark was moving into the manor. Neither of them knew if they would ever get to that point or not, even though Bruce secretly hoped that they would one day.

Most importantly, though, Bruce knew that he didn't want to spend another moment regretting not being by Clark's side; regretting not at least trying to be in a relationship. Then he realized that he hadn't even told Clark that he loved him back. He loved Clark, didn't he? It felt like he did, but to actually say the words...

"I haven't told you I loved you, yet," Bruce pointed out. Clark blinked at the sudden change in atmosphere. Before Clark could respond, Bruce blurted, "So how do you know that this will work? I don't know when I'll be able to feel comfortable telling you that, and I know it's stupid because it's only three words but it's different for me-"

He stopped rambling when Clark cupped his face with a warm hand. His eyes were soft and Bruce found himself relaxing. "I know that it's difficult for you to say it back to me, Bruce. But there's another example of how much you mean to me: I still want to be with you even though you might not tell me every day that you love me. But you don't need to say it all the time because your actions show that you love me. I can't explain it yet, but I can just  _feel_ it."

Well... "It's that good enough for you..."

Clark smiled. "It is. Besides, I'd rather have someone prove their love to me in actions than have someone cruel tell me over and over again how much they love me."

Bruce's eyes sparked and his chest flared in understanding. "You're too good for me, Clark," he murmured. "And the fact that you would just humbly deny it makes you even better."

Clark's laugh was soft and cascading, and Bruce was drawn to it like a magnet. He leaned forward and pulled Clark into a hug. 

Then it was Clark's turn to be surprised at such a showing of affection, but he quickly smiled and returned the hug. He nuzzled into Bruce's warm neck and sighed in contentment. "I love you," he said softly.

Bruce paused, felt the weight of the words on his tongue, and then replied, "I know."

There was a silence that Bruce thought had gone on for a beat too long, but Clark started giggling, and then the giggles turned into full-on laughter. It took a few minutes for Clark to settle down, and when he did, he had tears in his eyes. "That was a good one," he said, wiping his eyes. "I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."

Bruce allowed himself a rare smile, feeling happy that he'd been able to make Clark laugh like that. Being lost in that warm moment must have lowered his inhibitions, because, "I love you," flowed freely from his lips.

Clark gasped softly but Bruce didn't regret allowing his guard to go down. "I love you." He said it again.

"How does it feel to say that?" Clark asked innocently.

Bruce considered the question for a moment. "I'm definitely not used to it yet, but it's getting easier."

Clark smiled and pulled Bruce into another hug. "I love you, too."

They stayed like that for a long time, both just content to bask in the warmth of each other now that they were allowed to do so without worrying about it.

"Is this as slow as you mentioned taking our relationship? Or can something more happen?" Bruce asked hesitantly, unsure of what to do next. It was easy when he was Brucie Wayne, but Clark was someone he truly cared about, and he didn't want to mess things up. 

Clark chuckled and pulled away from the hug just enough so he could look at Bruce. "Something more can happen." He gave Bruce a kiss on the cheek and then looked at him expectantly.

Bruce blinked, feeling a little disappointed yet bashful at the same time. "Oh. Yes, that's good."

Clark laughed and shook his head. "Were you expecting something  _more?_ Something like..." And he leaned in and pressed his lips gently but firmly against Bruce's. "That?" He sounded slightly breathless when he pulled away.

"That," Bruce replied with a blissful sigh. 

Clark's smile grew and he kissed Bruce again. 

"I know you hated being a cat, but if that hadn't happened, I don't know if we would be here right now," Clark mentioned.

Bruce groaned slightly. "Yeah, yeah..."

Another quick laugh from Clark had Bruce kissing him again. 

~~

Things had progressed even more, but Clark was adamant in letting Bruce know that he could only be patient about so many things for only so long, and "if you want to wait, we can, but don't think that I'm expecting to wait much longer." That had made Bruce laugh and proceed confidently. 

Being so intimate with someone he loved was something that Bruce hadn't experienced for many years, and "nice" was too simple to describe something that had been so wonderful. But "wonderful" seemed to land short, too. Bruce felt blissfully happy as he rested his head on Clark's chest and closed his eyes. He hadn't allowed himself to be this relaxed since...

"Bruce?" Clark asked, an odd tone to his voice.

"Hm?" Bruce hummed, still coming down from the high.

"Are you...? Were you just purring?"

Bruce's eyes snapped open and that comforting noise he'd been hearing instantly stopped.

"...."

"...."

"...Maybe."

Clark dissolved into a fit of giggles, and as much as Bruce wanted to be angry and embarrassed about it, he couldn't help but start to laugh along. Besides, if it made Clark happy...

"Don't you ever tell this to another soul."

"Aw, not even Ma?"

"...Alright, fine. But  _no one_ else."

Clark kissed Bruce passionately before saying, "Deal."

They settled down again and Clark started to gently comb his fingers through Bruce's hair. The low rumbling noise started up again, and this time Clark could feel the small vibrations from Bruce's chest against his own. He let out a blissful sigh and wrapped his other arm around Bruce.

"I like the purring."


	16. Epilogue

Batman was punching in the coordinates for Gotham while Superman stood in the zeta tube and waited. But before Batman could finish, Wonder Woman came into the room and smiled at Superman.

"Have a good night, you two," she said. She sent her smile to Batman, too, but he merely grumbled and looked away.

Superman blushed slightly, glad that none of the other League members were around. He and Batman still weren't ready to tell the whole League, but they'd let Diana know. Actually, she'd figured it out and they had no choice but to tell her.

"Thank you," Superman replied quietly.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you, Superman. How's life without a cat?"

Superman was a bit surprised by the question. No one had asked him that since Bruce was turned back into a human. "Oh! It's... Honestly, I kind of miss having a cat around." 

Batman could hear the tone of Superman's voice: it wasn't as cheerful as usual. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a sad smile on the other hero's face.

It was the real Diana nodding now and giving Clark a small smile. "I'm sure your new company isn't much different, though."

Clark laughed. "Yeah, he's helped take some of the loneliness away."

Diana beamed and waved goodbye as Batman stepped into the tube next to Superman.

~~

"Bruce?" Clark turned the lights on in his apartment and looked around. He was slightly confused. Weren't they supposed to meet here for something? Clark suspected they'd order takeout and watch a movie, but Bruce was nowhere to be found. Clark let himself listen for Bruce's heartbeat. It was coming from somewhere in the bedroom, but before Clark could act, he heard another, tinier heartbeat. 

"What in the world...?" He moved towards the couch and nearly jumped back when a kitten popped up, leaning on the couch cushions with its little paws. It had a little red silk bow collar that contrasted brightly against his soft black fur.

The kitten let out a small meow and sniffed the air around Clark. 

Clark nearly melted. "Look at you!" He gently picked the kitten up and held it close to his face.

The kitten meowed again and Clark grinned. "How did you get in here?" 

He might have worried that Bruce had been turned back into a cat if he hadn't heard his heartbeat a few seconds ago. 

"You're such a handsome little guy!" 

"You never told me I was handsome when I was a cat," Bruce said playfully as he stepped out of the shadows.

Clark smiled. "You didn't have a red bow around your neck."

"I could start wearing red bowties," Bruce suggested with a playful smirk.

"I know you're only half-serious but that would really bring out your eyes." Clark's eyes had a slightly hungry look to them that made Bruce loosen the collar of his dress shirt. 

"Anyway," Bruce said, standing near the a/c vent to cool himself down, "what do you think?" He nodded towards the kitten.

Clark grinned. "He's adorable. Where did you find him?"

"I went to the shelter. You won't believe me-"

"Try me."

"It's kind of a sad story. The little guy's mother and siblings didn't make it."

Clark frowned and felt his heart go out to the kitten. He studied the curious feline, who seemed to be blissfully unaware of the heavy conversation.

"I thought it kind of fitting, for us..." Bruce was hesitant, afraid that he might offend Clark somehow.

Clark smiled softly and walked over to Bruce, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "What should we name him?"

Bruce examined the cat, who was now reaching out to Bruce with his paw. "I hadn't planned on finding a kitten." Bruce looked away nervously.

Clark's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Were you trying to look for a cat that was similar to you?"

Bruce blushed slightly. "Maybe. I thought that was the kind of cat you were missing?"

Clark laughed fondly. "I was missing the company, but I was also missing my unique cat."

Bruce smiled shyly (not that he would ever admit it) and gently scratched the kitten behind the ears. "He seems friendlier than me. Probably a good thing, though. Can't have a cat stealing all of your affection."

Clark gave Bruce a look, but he was smiling. "He's still a kitten. He is as curious as you. Bruce, you know what I have to name him."

Bruce's worried expression quickly turned into a frown when he saw that Clark wasn't going to budge. "You can't let that go, can you?"

"Nope!" Clark grinned, and it was hard to hate him. He kissed the kitten's head and announced proudly, "Welcome home, Bruce!"

Bruce sighed and rolled his eyes. "That's going to get confusing, and annoying, very quickly."

"I know." Clark's mischevious grin was too much, so Bruce had to kiss it off.

But the kitten didn't approve of this. The next thing Bruce new, his cheek was being batted by a small paw. He pulled away from Clark and looked incredulously at the cat.

Clark just laughed heartily. 

~~

_Four months later._

Bruce walked down to the cave to finish some last minute work before Clark came over. They were going to spend the weekend together... If the cat would allow them some privacy. That cat followed Clark everywhere, and Clark insisted on bringing the cat with him when he was going to stay the night at the manor. But Bruce and... Bruce... had come to an understanding. He wasn't sure how, but there'd been a moment when they looked at each other and nodded, and things hadn't been so tense after that.

The lights turned on automatically and Bruce almost dropped his phone at the sight of his desk.

Papers were scattered everywhere, a container of bolts on one of the workbenches had been knocked over... It would take a few hours to straighten everything out.

And standing there in the middle of the chaos, looking completely unashamed, was the cat.

"BRUCE!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again to everyone who read this, commented, and/or left kudos! I am so happy that everyone liked this story as much as I did! Although this is the end of a series, you can definitely be on the lookout for little one-shots about kitty!Bruce whenever I get the inspiration. :) Happy New Year's Eve and a Happy New Year!


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